Most notable for his sculptures of crushed automobile parts, John Chamberlain has had an ongoing interest in everyday objects, but focused almost exclusively on cars from 1959 to 1963. Instead of creating something new, he was demolishing something already in existence. For several years he did paintings using automobile lacquer, but added materials such as foam rubber, plexiglass, and paper, then returned to his earlier method of producing crushed forms. Chamberlain was born in Rochester, Indiana. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and at Black Mountain College, and then moved to New York City in 1957. He was influenced by sculptor David Smith in the use of welded and sheet forms in the construction of his work. In addition to his sculptures, Chamberlain creates video art, which, like the automobiles, depicts common, recognizable items from daily life. Museum References: Addison Gallery of American Art, Artists Rights Society, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Chrysler Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Dia Center for the Arts, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Neuberger Museum of Art, Orlando Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, The St. Louis Art Museum, The University of Michigan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art