1978 - 1980
John Chamberlain, Shoemaker’s Knife, 1978
1978
Chamberlain purchases and renovates a barn on 9½ acres of land in Essex, Connecticut, to establish a residence and outdoor studio. However, his collection of car metal on the property raises concerns among neighbors and local authorities, leading to zoning issues and a "cease and desist" order. In response, Chamberlain proposes the idea of creating a mural on his property's stone wall to depict a story like Dante's Inferno or Cy Twombly's "Fifty Days at Illium," which he would call "Backing Into Essex." The controversy ultimately leads him to put the property up for sale in November 1980.
January 12-March 12: Participates in the exhibition "Art and the Automobile" at the Flint Institute of Arts in Michigan, honoring the institute's fiftieth anniversary.
March 9-30: Exhibits at Galerie Heiner Friedrich in Munich, showcasing an edition of thirty unique painted-metal sculptures titled "Sockets," created in December 1977 from coffee cans. These small works, measuring around 4 × 4 × 6 inches, resemble his earlier sculptures of the same title made from painted oil drums. The exhibition also features a series of drawings titled "View from the Cockpit" from 1976.
June-August: Exhibits at Galerie Heiner Friedrich in Cologne. The exhibition includes seven reliefs, such as "Druid's Cluster (Swish)," "Dakota Grass," "Bentley Last," "Chopped Lip," "Full Quartz," "Piece Pockets," and "American Star," as well as the freestanding sculpture "Leo Castelli," all created between 1975 and 1978.
October 28-November 18: He participates in a group show at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York, along with renowned artists like Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, and Andy Warhol. Chamberlain presents his artwork "White Thumb Four," created in 1978.
He collaborates with Topaz Editions in Tampa, Florida, to publish his first edition of lithographs, titled "Welding I-V." This marks a departure from his sculptural work, and the edition is the result of a collaboration with printer Julio Juristo. Chamberlain spent eighteen months working on the lithographs and ultimately created an edition of 27 sets.
Following his introduction to printer Julio Juristo by artist James Rosenquist in late 1976, Chamberlain embarks on a lithograph project that results in the creation of the "Welding I-V" suite. This edition of lithographs marks his first foray into this medium, aside from his earlier contribution to the Stockholm portfolio produced by Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.) in 1973.
Later, in November, Juristo suggests that Chamberlain explore the creation of a ceramic sculpture multiple. The following year, Chamberlain completes a metal prototype titled "Portrait of a Nude with a Chrome Fan" (1979), and with the assistance of ceramic sculptor Jim Schietinger, an edition of 9 ceramic sculptures is produced, along with 3 artist proofs and 3 hors commerce pieces.
These events showcase Chamberlain's artistic versatility and willingness to experiment with different mediums and techniques during this period.
John Chamberlain, Abba Funn, 1979
1979
The winter issue of the Chicago Review features Chamberlain's artwork "Druid's Cluster (Swish)" from 1975 on its cover. The issue focuses on "Black Mountain and Since: Objectivist Writing in America."
March 7-April 11: Chamberlain participates in "Auto Icons" at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Downtown Branch in New York. He exhibits works such as "Jackpot" from 1961 and "Velvet White" from 1962.
May 22-June 12: The 112 Workshop at 325 Spring Street in New York hosts an exhibition titled "Larry Bell, John Chamberlain, Julia Fahey: Widelux Photographs." This is the first exhibition of Widelux photographs in New York, showcasing Chamberlain's work with this panoramic camera.
October 12-November 18: Chamberlain has a solo exhibition at Kunsthalle Bern, which later travels to Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, Netherlands in April 1980. This exhibition includes fourteen sculptures created between 1976 and 1979.
November 16, 1979-February 4, 1980: Participates in the exhibition "Weich und Plastisch: Soft-Art" at Kunsthaus Zürich. The show features two of his foam sculptures: "Untitled" from 1966 and "Babe" from 1972.
November 23, 1979-January 20, 1980 (extended through March 31, 1980): Exhibits at Heiner Friedrich in Cologne. The exhibition includes several metal sculptures, a foam couch titled "American Barge" with video, and two installations of foam pieces: "Fire and Ice" and "Freddie's Joint." Chamberlain travels to Cologne to create the foam works on-site.
John Chamberlain, Thordis' Barge, 1980
1980
He moved to Sarasota, Florida, and chose to anchor his boat, the Cocola, at a local marina.
He set up an outdoor studio in Osprey, a southern part of Sarasota, within the premises of Glueck's Auto Parts, a sizable salvage yard covering 23 acres. During this time, he initially lived in a lean-to tent on the site before eventually finding a more permanent residence.
Chamberlain collaborated with Viva Auder, an actress known for her roles in films by Andy Warhol, on an outline for a film titled "The Secret Life of William Shakespeare." The narrative revolved around the portrayal of the famous playwright grappling with writer's block. For the film, Chamberlain envisioned his previous collaborator Taylor Mead taking on the role of William Shakespeare, and Truman Capote as the Village Idiot. He compared the film's development to creating a sculpture, emphasizing the process of selecting pieces that naturally fit together. The film project, however, did not come to fruition as planned.
January 7 to February 8: Chamberlain's recent work is featured in the exhibition "Five in Florida: Recent Work by Anuszkiewicz, Chamberlain, Olitski, Rauschenberg, Rosenquist" at the Fine Arts Gallery of the University of South Florida in Tampa.
March 29 to May 4: He participates in the exhibition "Sculpture on the Wall: Relief Sculpture of the Seventies" at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. This exhibition includes works by artists like Lynda Benglis, Bryan Hunt, Donald Judd, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Morris, Louise Nevelson, George Segal, and Frank Stella. Chamberlain's contribution includes his piece "Kunststecher" from 1977, along with two drawings from the series "View from the Cockpit" created in 1976.
June 1 to August 3: Chamberlain is part of the exhibition "Reliefs: Formprobleme zwischen Malerei und Skulptur im 20. Jahrhundert" at the Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte in Münster, Germany. This exhibition explores the relationship between painting and sculpture through relief works. The exhibition later travels to Kunsthaus Zürich.
June 4 to September 1: An early installation model for a public sculpture titled "McNamara's Band" is exhibited in "Across the Nation: Fine Art for Federal Buildings, 1972-1979" at the National Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. This sculpture was commissioned by the U.S. General Services Administration for installation on Federal Plaza in Detroit. Chamberlain's original proposal for the sculpture, which involved a reflecting pool and pink marble steps, was rejected. The final sculpture, made of car metal and standing at 16 feet tall, was completed in 1981.
November 27, 1980 to August 11, 1981: He participates in the exhibition "Faszination des Objekts" at the Museum moderner Kunst in Vienna. The exhibition also travels to Stadthaus Klagenfurt in Klagenfurt, Austria. One of the works featured is "Trixie Dee" from 1963.