1963 - 1965
John Chamberlain, Untitled, 1963, is an example of the Playkool series, incorporating children’s children blocks as bases
1963:
During the spring, he relocates with his family to Embudo, New Mexico.
He creates the Playskool series, crafting small-scale sculptures that incorporate children's building blocks as bases.
March 30-April 25: Chamberlain participates in the "Six Sculptors" exhibition at Boston University Art Gallery alongside Gabriel Kohn, James Rosati, David Slivka, Richard Stankiewiez, and Wilfred Zogbaum. Chamberlain displays works such as "Long Clove" (1960), "Valentine" (1960), "Captain O'Hay" (1961), an untitled collage (1961), and "Hollywood John" (1962).
May: Takes part in "Pop Art américain" at Galerie Ileana Sonnabend in Paris, alongside artists like Lee Bontecou, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist, and Tom Wesselmann. He presents his artwork "Butternut" from 1963.
May 14-June 8: Participates in the "2 American Sculptors" exhibition at Robert Fraser Gallery in London, alongside Richard Stankiewicz. He showcases works such as "Ginger" (1961), "Mozo" (1962), "Che Che" (1963), "Dandy Dan-D" (1963), "Ruby-Ruby" (1963), and "Trixie Dee" (1963).
May 29-September 28: Contributes to the "Sculpture in the Open Air" exhibition organized by The Museum of Modern Art in Battersea Park, London, featuring British and American artists. His piece "Coo Wha Zee" from 1962 is displayed.
Summer: Relocates with his family to Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles. He begins creating auto lacquer and metal-flake paintings on 12-inch-square pieces of Masonite and Formica. He sprays the paint to achieve smooth, monochrome surfaces and then applies a template composed of a small grid of nine squares. This pattern is sprayed in a different color from the surface, often superimposed on itself. The paintings are hung straight or rotated 45 degrees to form a diamond shape. He titles these lacquer paintings after rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues bands. This technique involves multiple coats of paint, resulting in a buildup of color.
September 17- October 31: Participates in the "Sculptors of Our Time" exhibition at the Washington Gallery of Modern Art in Washington, D.C., presenting his work "Silverheels" from 1963.
During the fall, he relocates with his family to Malibu, California.
From October 1st to 19th, he takes part in the "Four Sculptors: Robert Mallary-John Chamberlain-John Anderson-César" exhibition at Allan Stone Gallery in New York. Works on display include "Projectile D.S.N.Y." (1957), "Wildroot" (1959), "Nutcracker" (1960), and possibly a small sculpture, likely "JCCR 150."
From November 16th to December 7th, his solo exhibition "John Chamberlain: Sculpture" is held at The Pace Gallery in Boston. Works shown include "Big B" (1962), "Seven" (late 1950s), "One" (1963), "Nehoc" (1962), and "Untitled" (1963).
On December 19th, Leo Castelli writes a letter to the Los Angeles County Probation Department, vouching for Chamberlain's integrity, describing him as a complex and remarkable individual with a deep commitment to his art and a gentle and generous temperament.
John Chamberlain, Bags Down, 1964. The work was exhibited at New American Sculpture at the Pasadena Art Museum and Four Younger Artists at the Esponsizione Biennale Internazionale D’Art in Venice, Italy.
1964:
January 14: Chamberlain sends Castelli “just a line to reassure you,” concluding optimistically, “I’m making huge improvements in my craft & excitement runs high have no fear. There’s a goin to be a big splash so pray for surf.”
February 8-March 12: Participates in an exhibition at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York alongside artists like Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and Frank Stella. His work "Hollywood John" (1962) is displayed.
February 11- March 7: Contributes to the "New American Sculpture" exhibition organized by Walter Hopps at the Pasadena Art Museum in California. His works on display include "Bijou" (1961), "Miss Lucy Pink" (1962), "Madam Moon" (1963), "Mr. Moto" (1963), "Slauson" (1963), and "Bags Down" (1964).
April 8-May 4: Holds an exhibition at Galerie Ileana Sonnabend in Paris, showcasing artworks like "Mozo" (1962), "Butternut" (1963), "Che-Che" (1963), "Dandy Dan D" (1963), "Ruby-Ruby" (1963), and "Trixie Dee" (1963).
April 11-April 30: Chamberlain's works are displayed at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York, featuring pieces such as "Madam Moon" (1963), "Mr. Moto" (1963), "Slauson" (1963), "Bags Down" (1964), "CA-D'ORO" (1964), "Colonel Splendid" (1964), "Dogstarman (for Stan Brakhage)" (1964), "Emperor Hudson" (1964), "Red Ryder" (1964), and "Sugar Tit" (1964).
April 17-June 1: Participates in "The Atmosphere of '64" exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania.
April 22-June 28: His work "Silverheels" (1963) is displayed in the "Painting and Sculpture of a Decade, 54-64" exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London.
Chamberlain is among the artists commissioned by architect Philip Johnson to create works for the exterior of the circular Theaterama building in the New York State Pavilion at the New York World's Fair. His monumental relief sculpture goes missing after the fair ends.
May: Contributes to the 24th Annual Exhibition of the Society for Contemporary American Art at the Art Institute of Chicago in May.
June 6-30: Participates in a group show at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York alongside artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Salvatore Scarpitta, Frank Stella, Cy Twombly, and Jack Tworkov.
June 10: Chamberlain is arrested in a drunken altercation with the police and charged with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct. He is bailed out of jail by Ivan Karp of the Leo Castelli Gallery.
June 20-July 26: Participates in the exhibition "U.S.A.: Rauschenberg and Noland and Johns and Louis and Chamberlain and Dine and Stella and Oldenburg. The Biennale Eight" at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.
He takes part in the "Four Younger Artists" presentation as part of the American section at the 32nd Esposizione Biennale Internazionale d'Arte in Venice.
Summer: Sets up a studio in New York at 53 Greene Street while his family remains on the West Coast.
Chamberlain develops a new approach to his lacquer paintings, using 48-inch-square Formica panels and chrome right-angles to create contrasting color bands.
He participates in the "Recent American Sculpture" exhibition at the Jewish Museum in New York.
December 9-January 31: Chamberlain’s work "Kandy Krunch" (1963) is part of the Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
John Chamberlain, Koma, 1965
1965:
January 9-27: Presents paintings created in auto lacquer and metal flake on Formica at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York.
March 6-April 5: Participates in a two-person exhibition with Allan D'Arcangelo at Galerie Rudolf Zwirner in Cologne.
March 20-April 25: Chamberlain takes part in the "Painting without a Brush" exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, featuring four of his lacquer paintings.
April: Contributes to the "American Sculpture 1900-1965" exhibition at the Flint Institute of Arts in Michigan, showcasing his work "Coo Wha Zee" (1962).
June 15-July 10: Participates in the "Pop Art" exhibition at Galerie Bruno Bischofberger in Zurich, alongside artists like Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, and others.
June 22-October 10: Chamberlain is part of the "Etats-Unis sculptures du XXe siècle" exhibition organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, at the Musée Rodin in Paris. His work "Velvet White" (1962) is included.
Fall: Moves to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and takes a sabbatical from working with car metal, focusing on different materials and approaches.
He produces a small number of sculptures with manufactured metal pieces based on quarter-scale tin maquettes, a departure from his previous methods. These sculptures feature strict geometries and highly polished painted surfaces.
December 1, 1965-January 17, 1966: Participates in the "7 Sculptors" exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. The exhibition includes two of his lacquer paintings with chrome: "Toureiro" and "Zia" (both 1964), as well as "Koma" (1965). Donald Judd writes a catalog entry on Chamberlain's work for the "7 Sculptors" exhibition and also incorporates parts of Chamberlain's work into his sculptural portrait titled "John Chamberlain Working" (1965-67), applying aluminum paint to the surface and effectively transforming the original work.
Throughout this year, Chamberlain continues to explore various mediums and approaches, engaging with the art scene through exhibitions and collaborations with other artists.