Some people live many different lives compressed into one. Now rebranded as ‘eras’, these wildly different chapters give people a depth of character and teach them invaluable lessons. Artist John Chamberlain (1927 - 2011) was one of them: at sixteen he enrolled in the Navy, he later went to art school in Chicago, worked as a hairdresser and makeup artist, and then went on to join the pioneering Black Mountain College founded by John Cage. And after all this twists and turns, he went on to became one of the most recognised artists of the second half of the 20th century.
This month, publishing house Assouline teamed up with the John Chamberlain Estate to launch Living With Chamberlain, a unique book that brings together the testimonies of friends, relatives, collectors, and admirers of his work, where they explain what it’s like to live with his work in their homes. These names include people as varied as fashion designers Rick Owens, Vera Wang, and Matthew Williams; gallerists Larry Gagosian and Robert Mnuchin; artist Urs Fischer; singer Solange Knowles; and collectors Bruce and Barbara Berger, among others.
Mostly known for his massive sculptures made with leftover parts of cars, as well as other metal scraps, John Chamberlain redefined beauty. Usually associated to sumptuous lines and noble materials like marble, sculpture evolved and expanded its limits during the second half of the 20th century, when artists, especially after World War II, tried to make sense of all the horror, destruction, atrocities, and cruelty they had lived first-hand — let’s not forget that Chamberlain was part of the army and had to participate in that horrific event. So, he turned to the most contemporary thing he could find: automobiles, more especially, what was left of them.
He put together monumental works made of scraps, something that people weren’t so keen on in the beginning. Speaking of his creative process, he’d say: “If I have a room full of parts, they are like a lot of words. I have to take one piece and put it next to another and find out if it really fits. The poet’s influence is in there.” With the help of the right art dealers and critics, he made a name for himself and became a superstar in the art world, landing solos shows in renowned galleries, museums, and institutions, especially in the United States but also in Europe.
Now, the title Living With Chamberlain aims to bring back and celebrate the artist's work, and more especially, what it means to live with it every day. Because most of us only get to experience certain artworks when we visit exhibitions. We might stand in front of them for a little while, and then we move on. But what happens when that artwork has a presence in your everyday life, in your most personal space?
