1999 - 2001
John Chamberlain, Free Chee (Dedicated to my #2 son, Jesse Claude)
1999
April 10-June 13: Participates in the exhibition "In Company: Robert Creeley's Collaborations" at Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University, New York. The exhibition later travels to various locations.
May 30, 1999-Spring 2000: "Dooms Day Flotilla" (1982) is featured in the inaugural exhibition of MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts.
June 14-October 17: "John Chamberlain: Painted Steel Sculpture" is displayed at Lever House in New York. The exhibition showcases works such as "Garter Trolley" (1988), "Haute Cing" (1990), "The Big One" (1992), "Buoy Crazy" (1992), "Ludwig's Lust" (1992), "Schadenfreund" (1992), "Ida Eye" (1994), and "Rap Psalm" (1996).
June: Jesse Claude Chamberlain, the artist's second son and a musician for the band The Necessaries, passes away. In his memory, Chamberlain creates "Free Chee (Dedicated to My #2 Son Jesse Claude)," a black metal relief piece with chrome elements.
September 26, 1999-February 13, 2000: Participates in "The American Century: Art and Culture 1900-2000, Part II: 1950-2000" at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, featuring the work "Velvet White" (1962).
December 1: Receives the Distinction in Sculpture award from Sculpture Center, New York, at a gala event in the United Nations' Delegates' Dining Room.
"Idle Worship" (1980) and "Opian Angel" (1983) are exhibited at Buchmann Skulpturenprojekte & Kunsthandel in Agra, Switzerland.
John Chamberlain, Flavin Lights - Blue Tint, Ektacolor Professional Print, 2000
2000
January 8 to February 12: Participated in the exhibition "Four Sculptures" at D'Amelio Terras in New York. This exhibit included works by various artists, including Chamberlain's "Ivory Joe" (1974/77).
January 28-April 2: The exhibition "John Chamberlain Sculpture: Selections from The Menil Collection and the Dia Art Foundation" took place at The Menil Collection in Houston. This show featured twenty-nine works, including all nine foam sculptures from Chamberlain's "Stuffed Dog" series (1967 and 1970).
March 3-29: Chamberlain's work was exhibited alongside Dan Flavin and Donald Judd's at the Bernard Jacobson Gallery in London.
March 4-April 22: Chamberlain's participation in the exhibition "Destruction/Creation" at Ubu Gallery in New York.
May 12-June 10 with an extension through July 14: "John Chamberlain: Recent Sculpture" was displayed at PaceWildenstein, 142 Greene Street, New York. This exhibition featured eight sculptures, including "Free Chee (Dedicated to My #2 Son Jesse Claude)" (1999).
May 13-August 27: Chamberlain participated in the exhibition "Welded! Sculpture of the Twentieth Century" at Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, State University of New York.
September 9-November 18: "John Chamberlain: Photographies et sculptures" was presented at Galerie Karsten Greve in Paris.
October 5, 2000-January 18, 2001: "The Hedge" (1997) was installed in the atrium at 590 Madison Avenue in New York.
October 14, 2000-January 21, 2001: "Crossroads of American Sculpture: David Smith, George Rickey, John Chamberlain, Robert Indiana, William T. Wiley, and Bruce Nauman" was exhibited at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, later traveling to the New Orleans Museum of Art. This show featured works by artists born in Indiana, including a selection of Chamberlain's oeuvre.
"Silly Eau Diddley" (1990) and twelve Widelux photographs were exhibited at Buchmann Skulpturenprojekte & Kunsthandel in Agra, Switzerland.
John Chamberlain, POTAWATOMIE FALLS, 2001
2001
Chamberlain undergoes knee surgery.
He travels to St. Moritz, Switzerland, with his family at the invitation of gallerist Karsten Greve. During his time there, he works on photography projects.
Chamberlain's approach to preparing stainless steel for sculptural use becomes more intricate. He starts applying translucent pigments, sometimes in loose patterns, to the surfaces of both new stainless steel and salvaged car parts. The metal is then processed in his Sarasota studio and delivered to Shelter Island for his work.
April 27-June 16: The exhibition "John Chamberlain and Ed Moses" takes place at L.A. Louver Gallery in Venice, California.
September 5: Chamberlain begins taking saxophone lessons from renowned musician Hal McKusick on John Cage's birthday, pursuing his lifelong passion for music, especially jazz.
September 21-October 20, extended through October 27: "Willem de Kooning and John Chamberlain: Influence and Transformation" is exhibited at PaceWildenstein in New York. The show explores the similarities in color and gesture between the works of these two often-compared artists. The exhibition includes eight paintings and eleven sculptures.
November 29, 2001-April 21, 2002: Chamberlain participates in the companion exhibitions "The Cultural Desert: Art, Medicine and Environment" at Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona, and "Inside Contemporary Sculpture" at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. His work "Pleasant Beast" (1990) is part of the exhibition.