John Chamberlain, in full John Angus Chamberlain, was an American sculptor, painter, photographer, 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 Chamberlain’s work was given a retrospective by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
Find John Chamberlain art for sale on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Graves International Art)
John Chamberlain - Framed 20th Century Oil, Harrowing Progress
By John Chamberlain
Located in Corsham, GB
Agricultural landscape in oil. Signed lower right. Well presented in a painted wooden frame. Labelled verso. On board.
Oil
$1,870
H 40 in W 83 in
Vivid Blossoming Arcs II Triptych, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 2025
By Natalia Roman
Located in Barcelona, ES
“Vivid Blossoming Arcs II” is a striking triptych that channels the spirit of the Bauhaus movement through precise geometric composition and a masterful command of color. Each panel ...
Paper, Oil, Acrylic
Rocky Inlet, Monhegan, Maine
By George Adomeit
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Rocky Inlet, Monhegan, Maine Oil on canvas mounted on phenolic resin, c. 1940 Unsigned Signed with the estate stamp on the reverse (see photo) Condition: Excellent, recently cleaned ...
Oil
$7,500
H 10.25 in W 13 in
Nashville at Sunrise, Oil on Canvas, Signed Indiana Impressionist
By Louis Oscar Griffith
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Nashville at Sunrise Oil on canvas, mounted to archival resin board Signed by the artist lower left Provenance: Estate of the artist By decent A gorgeous Indiana Impressionist oil painting, done "plein air" (on location, outdoors) Born in Greencastle, Indiana, Griffith grew up in Dallas, Texas where Texas artist and teacher Charles Franklin Reaugh recognized young “Griff’s” artistic talent. At age 18, Griffith moved to St. Louis where he attended the St. Louis School of Fine Arts. In 1895, he moved to Chicago where he worked making color prints for the firm Barnes and Crosby. He attended the Art Institute of Chicago and during a brief stay in New York, the National Academy of Design. A successful commercial artist with a studio in the Chicago Loop, Griffith was a member and president of the Chicago Palette and Chisel Club. He made his first trip to Brown County...
Oil
$890
H 28 in W 40 in
Mauve Tulip, Bauhaus Arches Patterns, Pastel Tones Architecture Harmony, Paper
By Natalia Roman
Located in Barcelona, ES
This series of abstract geometric paintings by Natalia Roman draws its inspiration from the sleek grids and curves of Bauhaus architecture. Mauve Tulip is a study in rhythm, geometr...
Paper, Oil, Acrylic
Seascape
By George Adomeit
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Seascape (Off Monhegan, Maine) Oil on canvas, mounted to board by the artist, c. 1940 Signed: George G. Adomeit lower right A view of the Maine coas...
Oil
$1,840
H 29.1 in W 74 in
Mediterranean Patterns, Blue, Yellow, Multi Panel Painting, Paper, Abstract Fish
By Enric Servera
Located in Barcelona, ES
This series by Enric Servera explores the relationship of humans to salt and seawater. The intention of these works is to submerge us into the sea, a salty treasure that surrounds us...
Oil Crayon, Oil, Archival Paper
$810
H 28 in W 40 in
Rhombus Color Study, Pastel Tones Brutalist Geometry, Gray, Blue, PInk, Diptych
By Natalia Roman
Located in Barcelona, ES
These series of paintings by Natalia Roman gather their inspiration from geometric, minimalist shapes and paintings from the beginning of Modernism, with a special emphasis on Art De...
Oil, Paper
$20,000
H 30.25 in W 36.25 in
San Tropez Port: American Impressionist Oil on Canvas, Circa 1920
By Alexander L. Warshawsky
Located in Fairlawn, OH
The Port of San Tropez Oil on canvas, c. 1920 Signed lower right corner (see photo) Condition: Excellent, professionally cleaned Image/Canvas size: 25 3/4 x 32 inches Frame size: 30...
Oil
$1,820
H 40 in W 83 in
Abstract Wavy Beach, Blue and Yellow, Bauhaus Mosaic Triptych, Geometry Patterns
By Natalia Roman
Located in Barcelona, ES
"Abstract Wavy Beach” is a striking triptych that channels the spirit of the Bauhaus movement through precise geometric composition and a masterful command of color. Each panel weave...
Paper, Oil, Acrylic
$1,500
H 18 in W 24.5 in
Untitled (also known as "1811 THE BACKWOODSMAN'S CHRISTMAS")
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Untitled (also known as "1811 THE BACKWOODSMAN'S CHRISTMAS") Oil on canvas, c. 1875-1925 Unsigned Provenance: Found in Ohio A charming American naive nocturn of a hunter and his two ...
Oil
$712Sale Price|20% Off
H 40 in W 28 in
The Red Slide, Arches and Curves, Geometric Bauhaus Painting on Vivid Tones 2025
By Natalia Roman
Located in Barcelona, ES
This series of abstract geometric paintings by Natalia Roman draws its inspiration from the sleek grids and curves of Bauhaus architecture, while at the same time exploring bright an...
Paper, Oil, Acrylic
Ponte Vecchio Florence
By Robert Hallowell
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Ponte Vecchio Florence Oil on canvas, 1927 Signed and dated lower right corner Titled upper left NOTE: this offering is UNFRAMED Condition: Excellent Conservation by Monica Radecki, ...
Oil