John Chamberlain (1927-2011)

"The sculpture of John chamberlain has always been characterized as part of the sculptural wing of Abstract Expressionism, His surprising juxtapositions of elegance with brute force offer a brilliant three-dimensional counterpoint to paintings by Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline. But whereas the latter artists demonstrate hand-wrought expressiveness in paint, Chamberlain displays fierceness emanating, in large measure, from the inherent attributes of the scrap metal parts that are his medium. Jagged, torn, and punctured, his work has retained this extraordinarily dramatic vigor long after the initial era of its inception."

M. Rosenthal, "Reflections on the Art of John Chamberlain," John Chamberlain, exh. cat., New York, 2009, p. 7.