John Chamberlain

Leo Castelli Gallery, New York (LC# JAC-L)
Acquired by the present owner from the above

New York, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, John Chamberlain: A Retrospective Exhibition, December 1971 - February 1972, cat. no. 16, p. 31, illustrated
Los Angeles, Museum of Contemporary Art, John Chamberlain: Sculpture, 1954-1985, July - October 1986 
New York, Allan Stone Gallery, John Chamberlain: Early Works, October - December 2003, fig. 2 and cat. no. 10, n.p., illustrated twice in color

Julie Sylvester, John Chamberlain: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Sculpture, 1954- 1985, New York, 1986, cat. no. 50, illustrated

This work is in very good and sound condition overall. All the elements are stable and secure. The crushed and weathered painted and chromed-plated components show signs of corrosion, paint loss, scratches and abrasion, which are inherent to the artwork. There are scattered pinpoint spots of white paint which are presumably also inherent to the artist's working method and intent.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Hudson from 1960 demonstrates Chamberlain's dramatic shift beginning in the late 1950s from linear, monochromatic iron sculptures to the almost exclusive use of a bending, abstract synthesis of colorful, derelict automobile parts. This transition signaled a major development in his oeuvre and the direction of modern sculpture. 
Chamberlain arrived in New York in 1956 and soon became a regular patron at the Cedar Tavern, the infamous hangout of many of the Abstract Expressionists.  Like his early contemporaries, improvisation and spontaneity were essential elements in Chamberlain's sculpture. By manipulating the ready-made discarded automobile parts into new shapes, Chamberlain embraced the Abstract Expressionist artist's interest in the physicality of paint and brushstroke. Chamberlain combines different parts of automobiles or other scrap metal in an additive process where the endpoint bares no resemblance to the original object, he states "in the early sculptures, I used anything made of steel that had color on it. There were metal benches, metal signs, sand pails, lunch boxes, stuff like that... I wasn't interested in the car parts per se, I was interested in either the color or the shape or the amount." (Julie Sylvester, John Chamberlain, A Catalogue Raisonne of the Sculpture, 1954- 1985, New York, 1986, p. 15)

There is an intrinsic beauty in Chamberlain's sculpture that lies in the dichotomy between the industrial material and the organic shape that results from his process. Diane Waldman elaborates on these contradictions: "his forms, though bruised by both industrial manufacture and the artist's hand, appear as uncanny evocations of the human form. Bawdy figures, Chamberlain's forms are at once cheap and commonplace and noble and magnificent. Above all, his works speaks of a humanity which is all the more amazing considering its origins." (Exh. Cat., New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, John Chamberlain: A Retrospective Exhibition, 1971, p. 9). This visceral beauty is present in Hudson. The oxidized and bruised metal scraps come together in an elegant and balanced form that evokes a human body. The worn finish and bold greens of the sculpture attract the viewer, inviting us in and urging us to circumnavigate the work. Chamberlain's sharp angles and lines twist and fold into graceful, curvilinear and flowing forms which anthropomorphize an otherwise strictly industrial artifact.