John Chamberlain

(USA) *1927 in Rochester, Indiana; †2011 in New York City

John Chamberlain is one of the most important figures of abstract expressionism. Creating his first sculptures with automobile chassis in 1957, he belongs to the generation of artists who in using everyday materials supplanted the traditional conception of art that clearly divorced the world of art from that of normal life. Chamberlain works on the metal using a scrap metal press, thus not only forming and deforming the material itself, steel, but also transforming the automobile – the ultimate symbol of the American lifestyle – into art. The automobile stands for freedom, adventure, and eroticism: it can be used to cross the vast expanses of the American continent. Through this treatment, the artist gives the anonymous, industrial material a vital form. The paint allows a three-dimensional painting to emerge, and the title evokes a rich poetic chain of associations.

Exhibits

Blickachsen 5