The Observer

Margot Malverty reviews John Chamberlain: Five Decades+ in the Observer. 

Malverty writes, "while analyzing the twists and turns of welded automotive steel that John Chamberlain shaped into striking works of abstract art, one might assume his signature sculptures were a commentary on consumerism and material waste. However, unlike many artists who used repurposed objects in their works to raise social and environmental concerns, Chamberlain was drawn to automotive steel and other materials for their intrinsic properties.
John Chamberlain: Five Decades +, an upcoming show at Mnuchin Gallery in New York, provides a window into Chamberlain’s imagination, process and artistic evolution from 1960 to his death in 2011. While Chamberlain used a variety of materials over the course of his career, including urethane foam, paper bags and foil, one of his career-defining mediums was automotive steel. After purchasing vintage Chevys, Fords and Cadillacs from auctions, Chamberlain dissected the vehicles, removing everything that stood between the artist and the car’s steel soul. In doing so, he transformed the corpses of automotive wonders into the radical form of art that helped solidify his legacy."