The John Chamberlain Estate and the Bridgehampton Museum have announced the installation of Chamberlain’s “BURNTPIANO (Green)” (2008), a large-scale sculpture from the late artist’s series of foil works. The piece will be displayed on the front lawn of the museum’s Nathaniel Rogers House from Saturday through 2027. A reception will be held on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m.
The installation has been made possible by Lana Jokel, a filmmaker, who organized the collaboration between the museum and the Chamberlain estate. Early in her career, Jokel did a documentary, her first, on Andy Warhol, who then introduced her to other members of the East End’s art community.
Her vast filmography includes documentary portraits of Larry Rivers, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Strong-Cuevas, Howard Kanovitz, Nathan Joseph, and Keith Sonnier. Her film “A Moment in Time” features intimate conversations with a who’s who of the art world, including Chamberlain, who was a close friend from the 1960s until his death.
“We are thrilled that Chamberlain’s monumental ‘BURNTPIANO (Green)’ will be displayed at the Bridgehampton Museum, not far from the Chamberlain Estate on Shelter Island, where the concept for this work was first created,” said Alexandra Fairweather, director of the John Chamberlain Estate and the late artist’s stepdaughter. “His Shelter Island studio was a special place for him, and it’s also where we’ve found a home for his legacy. Like so many artists, the East End of Long Island was a formative place for Chamberlain, and we are honored to celebrate his life and his work with this prominent local installation.”
Throughout a career that spanned more than six decades, Chamberlain experimented continuously with mediums, materials, and scale. By the 1970s he began creating large dynamic sculptures using heavy-gauge aluminum foil, which he shaped through physical actions such as kicking, punching, and even driving his car into the work.
In the late ’80s, Chamberlain began creating a series of miniature sculptures from plain and colored aluminum foil. Those works, characterized by intricate creases and folds, showcased his growing proficiency with and control over the materials. By the 2000s he was able to enlarge those miniatures to a monumental scale, as exemplified by “BURNTPIANO (Green).”
Chamberlain (1927-2011) was renowned for his innovative sculptures. Over the course of his career he bridged multiple artistic movements, channeling the expressive individualism of the American postwar era and integrating elements of Abstract Expressionism, Process Art, and Minimalism.
“We are honored for the opportunity to present this monumental work by John Chamberlain,” said Timothy Malyk, the museum’s chief curator and collections manager. “We are also extremely grateful to Lana Jokel, Alexandra Fairweather, and Prudence Fairweather for this opportunity. We are thrilled to exhibit a major sculpture by such a seminal, pioneering, and pivotal figure in contemporary art history, with such strong direct ties to our local community.”
This article has been changed from its original and print versions to correct the closing date of the installation.
