Hauser & Wirth hosts its first exhibition of John Chamberlain's work in Switzerland

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, March 29, 2024


Hauser & Wirth hosts its first exhibition of John Chamberlain's work in Switzerland
John Chamberlain, KICKBACKPONGEE 2009. Painted and chromium-plated steel, 100.3 x 85.1 x 61 cm / 39 1/2 x 33 1/2 x 24 in. Photo: Thomas Barratt. © 2022 Fairweather & Fairweather LTD / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy the estate and Hauser & Wirth.



ZURICH.- John Chamberlain (1927 – 2011) was a quintessentially American artist, channelling the innovative power of the post-war years into a relentlessly inventive practice spanning six decades. Beginning 1 April at Bahnhofstrasse 1, Hauser & Wirth will host its first exhibition of the artist’s work in Switzerland. ‘John Chamberlain. Reclaimed’ will present a selection of five late sculptures forged from the bodies of mid-century cars that were salvaged from Kaudorf, Bern. These vintage Cadillacs, Fords, Buicks and Chevrolets bear the chromatic imprint of the era. In primarily black, white, and silver, Chamberlain returns to his sculptural origins through employing the repurposed materials of a historic and treasured destination.

In 2009, Chamberlain came across an auction of vintage cars collected by the Messerli family in Kaufdorf, Bern. Described as an ‘auto graveyard’, the empty shells of vintage cars were stacked in endless rows and consumed by the forest, left to the unsparing will of nature for almost 80 years. Along with friend, collector, and collaborator Ernest Mourmans, Chamberlain acquired the bodies of dozens of 1940s and ’50s automobiles, ‘yanking the motors out of them, and the transmissions and the brakes and the suspensions, the glass, all the wheels, the upholstery’. Chamberlain was particularly drawn to American-made cars as they had separate chassis, which could be easily removed, leaving the shells to be conquered. The artist then worked with crushers and other tools to compact the large sheets of the remaining metal into entirely new, expressionist forms.

Chamberlain first gained renown for his sculptures constructed from automobile scrap metal in the late 1950s and 1960s. These were ground-breaking works that effectively transformed the gestural energy of abstract expressionist painting into three dimensions. Beginning in the 1970s, he began to experiment with an array of other found materials such as foam rubber, Plexiglas, paper bags and aluminium foil. These playful explorations often informed his work with automotive scrap metal—his ideal ‘art supply’—which continued throughout his career. The late works on view in Zurich explore the formal and full expressive potential of this once abandoned industrial material. While some series of works employed metals which were augmented with colour and pattern by Chamberlain, this series derives its palette entirely from the original paint finish applied to the metals from these mid-century cars.

Welding bumpers and fenders around and within the crushed structures of metal, Chamberlain boldly challenges all notions of balance, colour, form, and volume. Works such as ‘BISHOPBUDD’ (2009) defy gravity as a crown of black, white and chrome strips sits atop a dense trunk of painted steel. ‘EMPIREMICROPHONE’ (2009) features the curvilinear forms of bumpers in bold contrast to the crumpled, timeworn steel balanced above. By employing a limited colour palette of black and white punctuated with reflective chrome, Chamberlain renders the density of steel into something that is seemingly weightless and fluid, elegant and powerful.

Standing within the monochromatic forest of sculptures, ‘ENTIRELYFEARLESS’ (2009) preserves the original red paintwork of the automobile from which it was welded. Demonstrating the artist’s skilled ability to balance colour and texture, this work echoes his belief that sculpture denotes a great deal of physicality, disrupting whatever space it occupies. Chamberlain worked in the round; from every perspective, the sculptures on view propose a new composition as the viewer explores each eccentric fold, twist and curl of steel. The mindful placement of the crushed car parts result in impossibly dynamic works that transform their original functionality into new and intriguing forms while establishing a pop art vernacular through the artist’s use of the ready-made.

Chamberlain’s daughter Alexandra Fairweather once shared a memory of their time in Switzerland: ‘Chamberlain and I were having coffee in Zurich and as a journalist was interviewing him, he mentioned how he was the first ‘recyclist.’ And after thinking about all of those automobiles, left to deteriorate in those fields… I realized he absolutely was in many respects a ‘recyclist.’’










Today's News

March 31, 2022

Asia Week New York rings up over $98.6M in sales

Hauser & Wirth hosts its first exhibition of John Chamberlain's work in Switzerland

Clark Art Institute acquires tea service that portrays 16 women noted in European history

Ashton Hawkins, manager of the rich and powerful at the Met Museum, dies at 84

'Life in Bronze': Sotheby's partners with the Sladmore Gallery

Courtney Treut joins Sean Kelly as Senior Director, Los Angeles

The Serpentine presents four major film commissions

Elmgreen & Dragset open "Useless Bodies?" at Fondazione Prada

Exhibition explores the representation of foundlings, orphans, adoptees, and foster children in comics

Scotiabank and the National Gallery of Canada announce the three winners of the 2022 New Generation Photography Award

The Barnes Foundation names Sheronda Whitaker Deputy Director for HR and Chief Diversity Officer

Sol LeWitt's exhibition at the Jewish Museum of Belgium is extended until 31 July

Sandra Vásquez de la Horra's second solo exhibition at Sprovieri opens in London

Ron Mandos opens an exhibition of new paintings by the South African artist WonderBuhle

Paradise Version by Tim Fishlock opens at Hang-Up Gallery, London

Gropius Bau opens 'Beirut and the Golden Sixties: A Manifesto of Fragility'

The Scottish Gallery opens an exhibition featuring Helen Glassford's wild Scottish landscapes

Exhibition at Concord Art brings together depictions of tress by 15 artists

Charlotte Brüel joins NILS STÆRK

Gale Primary Sources release new archives dedicated to underrepresented histories

GIANT set to open an exhibition by legendary British photographer and photojournalist Martin Parr

Fridman Gallery opens a multidisciplinary exhibition highlighting the work of fourteen contemporary artists

10 Ways to Safely Store Your Art Collection and Protect Your Investments

Air Track Mats Vs. Traditional Tumbling Track Mats: Which One You Should Buy?

Some Valid Reasons to Hire a Licensed Builder to Build or Renovate Your Home

Questions To Ask When Choosing a Naturopath

Know a Brief History about Tactile Paths

Different Types of Modern Playgrounds Popular and Enjoyed by Kids

Be Your Own Guide and Check-out these Places in Bratislava, Slovakia

BAM Hosts Oh Boym! A Sideshow of Design

How To Master A Modern Italian Look At Home

Get great casino offers




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful