Heavy metal: John Chamberlain's first UK exhibition takes Edinburgh

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John Chamberlain, installation view
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is hosing the first public exhibition of the work of late American artist John Chamberlain in the UK. John Chamberlain, installation view, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. © 2015 Fairweather & Fairweather Ltd/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Dia Art Foundation, New York
(Image credit: Michael Wolchover)

Unexpectedly offset by their formal landscaped surroundings, four of John Chamberlain's towering, twisted aluminium sculptures in glittering shades of pink, bronze and green are currently dotted around the grounds of Inverleith House at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh as part of the the late American artist's first show in the UK.

A key figure in the New York art scene during the 1950s and 60s, Chamberlain (1927 - 2011) was often overshadowed by his American abstract expressionist contemporaries yet his work continues to exert a powerful influence on artists working today. Although renowned for his welded sculptures of discarded car parts, Chamberlain was a self-described collagist who worked with a broad range of media including urethane foam, paper bags, plexiglas, galvanised or stainless steel. 

It is this breadth and diversity of his oeuvre that the exhibition at Inverleith House seeks to highlight. While the ground floor is given over to his colourful crushed car sculptures - displayed on plinths, casually leant against or elevated on the walls- upstairs, the artist's Stuffed Dog sculptures - squidgy pieces of urethane foam tied together with cord and spattered with painted marks - are part of a set of 19 sculptures on loan from the Dia Art Foundation in New York which have never before been exhibited outside of North America. 

In the darkly lit basement, Chamberlain's 1969 experimental film 'The Secret Life of Hernando Cortez', featuring Chamberlain himself alongside a number of Warhol superstars such as Ultra Violet and Taylor Mead, also makes its UK debut.

Twisted aluminium sculptures in glittering shades of pink

Showcased inside and within the grounds of Inverleith House, the new exhibtion documents six deades of Chamberlain's work. John Chamberlain, installation view, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. © 2015 Fairweather & Fairweather Ltd/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Dia Art Foundation, New York

(Image credit: Michael Wolchover)

Twisted coloured aluminium

Chamberlain's work represents a unique link between the vivid colour palettes and frenetic energy of Abstract Expressionist painting and the truthfulness to material found in Minimalist sculpture. John Chamberlain, installation view, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. © 2015 Fairweather & Fairweather Ltd/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Dia Art Foundation, New York

(Image credit: Michael Wolchover)

Twisted coloured aluminium with a window view

Chamberlain was a key figure in the New York art scene of the 1950s and ‘60s. John Chamberlain, installation view, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. © 2015 Fairweather & Fairweather Ltd/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Dia Art Foundation, New York

(Image credit: Michael Wolchover, Dia Art Foundation)

Twisted coloured aluminium

On display on the ground floor, are the artist's popular welded sculptures made from discarded car parts. John Chamberlain, installation view, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. © 2015 Fairweather & Fairweather Ltd/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Dia Art Foundation, New York

(Image credit: Michael Wolchover, Dia Art Foundation)

Twisted coloured aluminium with elevated edges

The pieces are displayed on plinths, casually leant against or elevated on the walls. John Chamberlain, installation view, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. © 2015 Fairweather & Fairweather Ltd/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Dia Art Foundation, New York

(Image credit: Michael Wolchover)

Twisted purple aluminium of discarded car parts

Although renowned for his welded sculptures of discarded car parts, Chamberlain was a self-described collagist who worked with a broad range of media including urethane foam, paper bags, plexiglas, galvanised or stainless steel. John Chamberlain, installation view, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. © 2015 Fairweather & Fairweather Ltd/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Dia Art Foundation, New York

(Image credit: Michael Wolchover)

Squidgy pieces of urethane foam tied together with cord and spattered with painted marks

The artist's Stuffed Dog sculptures - squidgy pieces of urethane foam tied together with cord and spattered with painted marks have never before been exhibited outside of North America. John Chamberlain, installation view, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. © 2015 Fairweather & Fairweather Ltd/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Dia Art Foundation, New York

(Image credit: Michael Wolchover)

The Stuffed Dog sculptures 

The Stuffed Dog sculptures are part of a set of 19 pieces on loan from the Dia Art Foundation in New York. John Chamberlain, installation view, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. © 2015 Fairweather & Fairweather Ltd/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Dia Art Foundation, New York

(Image credit: Michael Wolchover)

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Ali Morris

Ali Morris is a UK-based editor, writer and creative consultant specialising in design, interiors and architecture. In her 16 years as a design writer, Ali has travelled the world, crafting articles about creative projects, products, places and people for titles such as Dezeen, Wallpaper* and Kinfolk.