John Chamberlain
UNTITLED, 1990
monotype on two sheets
82 x 29 in
Unique
Available at VFA
This week The European Fine Art Foundation’s (TEFAF) 12th annual fair was held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan.
Works by David Hockney, Cy Twombly, Alexander Calder and many other fine artists were on view.
One of the highlights at TEFAF was a small sculpture by John Chamberlain (1927-2011), priced at a quarter million dollars.
John Chamberlain’s history and works are getting a lot of attention, thanks, in part, to preparations by his estate to celebrate his centennial next year. The John Chamberlain Estate has created On the Couch, a series of interviews with artists, architects, designers and cultural visionaries who will film interviews at the estate’s private museum on Shelter Island, where Chamberlain maintained a studio from 2000 until his death in 2011.
One of Chamberlain’s large sculptures, BURNTPIANO (Green), 2008, is being installed at the Bridgehampton Museum’s Nathaniel Rogers House and will be on view through 2027.
Early in his career, Chamberlain collected large pieces of colored scrap metal discarded by auto body shops and began to create the large sculptures for which he is best known. He also had a softer side and worked with foam, aluminum and other materials.
In 1961, his work was shown alongside Picasso’s and Marcel Duchamp at MoMA. His influence can be seen the the works of Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, Donald Judd, Richard Serra and other modern sculptors who experimented with materials, proportions, color and light in their works.
Chamberlain also painted, wrote poetry, made films and even transformed some of his metal work into fine print form. One of those unique monotypes, available at VFA, is a large work, on two sheets created by Chamberlain in 1990.
John Chamberlain’s works are part of the permanent collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Whitney, the Guggenheim, the Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou and many other major museums around the world.
Deborah Kass’ OY/YO sculpture is universally understood and appreciated. It has been shown in museums and other venues around the world.
A large version has been a permanent fixture at the Brooklyn Museum since 2018, and continues to inspire universal smiles, poses, eye rolls and nods from visitors.
The sculpture was originally commissioned to be installed at the Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2015. The 8×17×5 ft. sculpture was placed so that YO was visible when seeing the sculpture from Manhattan. OY was the word when on the Brooklyn side looking towards Manhattan. The sculpture became an instant success, a destination for photo ops.
We have two versions of OY/YO at VFA. They are, of course, smaller than the one at the museum, but the message is still as impactful.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the works of John Chamberlain and Deborah Kass available at VFA.
References:
Rory Satran. The World of John Chamberlain. Sotheby’s/ May 18, 2026.
Vittoria Benzine. John Chamberlain Estate Launches Star-Studded New Interview Series. Artnet. May 18, 2026.
27 East. Bridgehampton Museum: John Chamberlain’s ‘BURNTPIANO (Green)’ To Be Installed at Nathaniel Rogers House. May 7, 2026
