Skip to main content

John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

American, 1927-2011
John Chamberlain, in full John Angus Chamberlain, (born April 16, 1927, Rochester, Indiana, U.S.—died December 21, 2011, New York, New York), American sculptor, painter, printmaker, and filmmaker whose Abstract Expressionist works were characterized by an emotional approach to concept and execution. Chamberlain studied at the Art Institute of Chicago (1951–52), where he began working in metals, and at Black Mountain College in North Carolina (1955–56). In 1957 he had his first one-man show in Chicago. His early pieces were made from welded iron rods, but he later used such materials as heat-shaped Plexiglass, paper, polyurethane, industrial rubber, brown paper bags, and aluminum foil before returning in 1974 to the use of auto body parts. His first sculpture to employ car parts was Shortstop (1957), which featured rusty fenders that he had found in the yard of painter and friend Larry Rivers. Chamberlain’s sculptures are typified by Mr. Press (1961), a construction of fragments from automobiles, crumpled and jammed together to create an effect of isolated, frozen movement. He often coated his pieces with bright industrial paints. During the 1970s oil crisis, Chamberlain often incorporated oil barrels into his work, notably in the series Socket and Kiss (1979). For a brief interlude he used car spray paint to create works that combined stencil and Action painting. Chamberlain was also involved in video and film and produced the cinematic Wide Point (1968); he later dabbled in drawing and printmaking. In 1971 his work was given a retrospective by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
(Biography provided by Graves International Art)
to
3
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
3
1
1
1
1
3
3
24
708
412
288
228
2
2
2
1
1
Artist: John Chamberlain
Hand Signed Western Union cable re: sculpture show at famed Leo Castelli gallery
By John Chamberlain
Located in New York, NY
John Chamberlain Hand Signed Letter re: Leo Castelli Exhibition, 1982 Typewriter on paper (hand signed) 6 1/2 × 8 1/2 inches Hand-signed by artist, Signed in purple felt tip marker Hand signed telegraph/letter refers to Chamberlain's exhibition at the legendary Leo Castell Gallery. A piece of history! John Chamberlain Biography John Chamberlain (1927 – 2011) was a quintessentially American artist, channeling the innovative power of the postwar years into a relentlessly inventive practice spanning six decades. He first achieved renown for sculptures made in the late 1950s through 1960s from automobile parts—these were path-breaking works that effectively transformed the gestural energy of Abstract Expressionist painting into three dimensions. Ranging in scale from miniature to monumental, Chamberlain’s compositions of twisted, crushed, and forged metal also bridged the divide between Process Art and Minimalism, drawing tenets of both into a new kinship. These singular works established him as one of the first American artists to determine color as a natural component of abstract sculpture. From the late 1960s until the end of his life, Chamberlain harnessed the expressive potential of an astonishing array of materials, which varied from Plexiglas, resin, and paint, to foam, aluminum foil, and paper bags. After spending three years in the United States Navy during World War II, Chamberlain enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago and Black Mountain College, where he developed the critical underpinnings of his work. Chamberlain lived and worked in many parts of the United States, moving between New York City, Long Island, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Connecticut, and Sarasota, before finally settling on Shelter Island. In many ways, each location provoked a distinct material sensibility, often defined by the availability of that material or the limitations of physical space. In New York City, Chamberlain pulled scrap metal and twelve-inch acoustic tiles...
Category

1980s Abstract John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Offset, Ink, Lithograph

Blue Pineapple, Abstract Drawing by John Chamberlain
By John Chamberlain
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: John Chamberlain, American (1927 - 2011) Title: Blue Pineapple Year: 1981 Medium: Marker and pencil on newsprint, signed 'JC' l.r. Image Size: 17.25 x 8.5 inches Size: 17.25 ...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Permanent Marker, Pencil

"Yellow Coconut", 1981, Drawing by John Chamberlain
By John Chamberlain
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: John Chamberlain, American (1927 - 2011) Title: Yellow Coconut Year: 1981 Medium: Marker and pencil on newsprint, signed 'JC' l.r. Image Size: 19.25 x 8.5 inches Size: 19.25 ...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Permanent Marker, Newsprint, Pencil

Related Items
Ship of Cools (#1318)
By Jack Balas
Located in New York, NY
Full title: "Ship of Cools, or, A Jolly Load of Boatmen Flat-Out Crossing the Mainstream, Some Being Kings, and Some Being 'Vagabonds' (We Await Your Applause) (#1318)" Watercolor, acrylic, and ink on paper (Diptych) Signed in black ink, l.l. This artwork references George Caleb Bingham’s 1846 painting “The Jolly Flatboatmen...
Category

2010s Contemporary John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor

double-sided marker drawing spanish abstract expressionism
By Ignacio Gil Sala
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
One side signed. Lower right corner slightly bent. Measures 29x20. Frameless. Ignacio Gil Sala, was a painter, bohemian character, adventurous and intrepid traveler who knew how to ...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Permanent Marker

Old Master Drawing, Self Portrait Artist, Figurative, 17th Century, German
Located in Greven, DE
1626 dated Red chalk drawing on paper, 28 x 20 cm on the reverse collector's stamp of H(einrich) Lempertz (unfortunately not traceable in the catalogue of his auctioned collection...
Category

17th Century Baroque John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Chalk

Theatre Scene, Opera, Old Master Drawing, Griselidis, Mallet, French Art
Located in Greven, DE
Unknown Artist, French School 18th Century, Circle of Mallet? Scene taken from the Decamerone. Old Master Drawing
Category

18th Century Romantic John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Cardboard

First Floor Biogram
By Kory Twaddle
Located in Kansas City, MO
Title : First Floor Biogram Materials : Acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, marker, charcoal, graphite, and conté crayon on paper Date : 2018 Dimensions : 24 x 18 x .1 in. Description : ...
Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Conté, Permanent Marker, Oil Pastel, Paint, Graphite, Watercolor, Temper...

Putti in a Landscape, Putti playing, flowers, Berchet, French Art, Old Master
By Pierre Berchet
Located in Greven, DE
Pierre Berchet, Drawing of Putti playing in a landscape, Painter of decorative history subjects; trained under La Fosse; worked in France and during the 1690s...
Category

17th Century Baroque John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Handmade Paper

"residence" abstract cityscape, colorful rowhouses, geometric, marker, pencil
By Miriam Singer
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "residence" is an original artwork made from pencil, maker, acrylic paint collage on panel by Miriam Singer. This piece measures 8"h x 8"w. Miriam Singer grew up i...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paint, Panel, Permanent Marker, Pencil

Aubrey Penny Hyle Reflection Series Abstract Drawing Signed and Dated
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Original drawing signed and dated in pencil by Aubrey Penny, Hyle Reflection series #6008, July 1971 Aubrey Penny (American 1917-2000) was...
Category

1970s Abstract John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Archival Paper, Permanent Marker

American (1917-2000) Abstract Drawing on Paper, Signed and Dated
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Aubrey Penny, American (1917 - 2000) Abstract Drawing on Paper. Signed and Dated 71, lower right Titled: "Hyler Reflection" Series #5932, ...
Category

1970s Abstract John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Archival Paper, Permanent Marker

Abstract Expressionist Gestural Oil Pastel Drawing Women Figures Anthony Triano
Located in Surfside, FL
Anthony Thomas Triano (1928–1997) was an abstract expressionist painter, sculptor, illustrator and teacher. His works feature natural forms, especially the human form, and tend towar...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil Pastel

In Real Time, unique signed Abstract Expressionist painting compared to Matisse
By Steven Sorman
Located in New York, NY
Steven Sorman In Real Time, 2003 Acrylic, gouache, gel medium, oil and beeswax collage painting on paper 48 × 34 inches Signed and dated 2003; The frame also bears the original label...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Expressionist John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Gouache, Gel Pen, Graphite

Autograph Letter with Original Sketch by Hans Erni - 1949
Located in Roma, IT
Autograph Letter Signed with Original Sketch by Hans Erni to Nesto Jacometti. March 5th, 1949. Signed "ton Erni". One page, one-sided. On ivory colored tissue paper. In French. In very good conditions, except for an horizontal tape connecting two parts of the sheet. Perfectly readabe, although the nervous calligraphy. An original red ink sketch...
Category

1940s Modern John Chamberlain Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

John Chamberlain drawings and watercolor paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic John Chamberlain drawings and watercolor paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by John Chamberlain in pen, pencil, permanent marker and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1980s and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large John Chamberlain drawings and watercolor paintings, so small editions measuring 9 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Joseph Glasco, Ben Hancocks, and Katherine Porter. John Chamberlain drawings and watercolor paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,400 and tops out at $5,000, while the average work can sell for $3,500.

Recently Viewed

View All