John Chamberlain
Ivory Joe, 1974-1977
John Chamberlain (1927 - 2011)
Ivory Joe, 1974-1977
Paint and chromium–plated steel
85 x 158.8 x 172.7 cm
John Chamberlain’s art sits alongside Pop and Minimalism without fully belonging to either. His sculptures are made from crushed car parts taken from junkyards and body shops, turning an icon of modern American consumerism into an abstract form. The rigid steel transforms into an almost weightless collaged volume. His titles—which he collected in notecards—are sometimes homage to friends or celebrities, sometimes suggestive of tragedy. This work refers to the rhythm and blues musician Ivory Joe Hunter, who passed away in 1974.