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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
ADDRESS
Arboretum Place, Edinburgh EH3 5NZ
-
The 2025 British Pavilion in Venice offered up a Geology of Britannic RepairThe 2025 British Pavilion in Venice is curated by an Anglo-Kenyan team of architects and designers; titled 'GBR: Geology of Britannic Repair', it explores the landscape of colonialism, its past, present and futures
-
A Venice sneak peek into the new Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean NouvelA new home for Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel will open later this year in Paris; in the meantime, the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 offered the perfect platform for a sneak preview of what's to come
-
Let's go outside: ten outdoor furniture ranges we loveOur round-up of outdoor furniture brings together work by leading designers and studios, blending contemporary forms with enduring materials designed to elevate open-air living
-
Meet the Turner Prize 2025 shortlisted artistsNnena Kalu, Rene Matić, Mohammed Sami and Zadie Xa are in the running for the Turner Prize 2025 – here they are with their work
-
The art of the textile label: how British mill-made cloth sold itself to Indian buyersAn exhibition of Indo-British textile labels at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru is a journey through colonial desire and the design of mass persuasion
-
From counter-culture to Northern Soul, these photos chart an intimate history of working-class Britain‘After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989 – 2024’ is at Edinburgh gallery Stills
-
Surrealism as feminist resistance: artists against fascism in Leeds‘The Traumatic Surreal’ at the Henry Moore Institute, unpacks the generational trauma left by Nazism for postwar women
-
From activism and capitalism to club culture and subculture, a new exhibition offers a snapshot of 1980s BritainThe turbulence of a colourful decade, as seen through the lens of a diverse community of photographers, collectives and publications, is on show at Tate Britain until May 2025
-
Jasleen Kaur wins the Turner Prize 2024Jasleen Kaur has won the Turner Prize 2024, recognised for her work which reflects upon everyday objects
-
Peggy Guggenheim: ‘My motto was “Buy a picture a day” and I lived up to it’Five years spent at her Sussex country retreat inspired Peggy Guggenheim to reframe her future, kickstarting one of the most thrilling modern-art collections in history
-
Please do touch the art: enter R.I.P. Germain’s underground world in LiverpoolR.I.P. Germain’s ‘After GOD, Dudus Comes Next!’ is an immersive installation at FACT Liverpool
