Toy

Contemporary Art

1961

John Chamberlain
American, 1927–2011

John Chamberlain began to make abstract sculptures— both wall-mounted and freestanding—of painted, compressed automotive parts in the 1950s. Skillfully combining the vigorous gestures of Abstract Expressionism with the playful use of found materials and compositions of Dada and Surrealism, the artist took previously cast-off pieces of sheet metal and then crimped, bent, and cut the usually unyielding material into an imposing form. Toy is atypical in its incorporation of a Slip n’ Slide (a plastic waterslide first introduced in 1961); the work slyly suggests a classical relief and the motif of drapery.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Contemporary Art

Artist: John Angus Chamberlain
Title: Toy
Place: United States (Artist's nationality)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1961
Medium: Steel, paint, and plastic
Dimensions: 136 × 98 × 77.5 cm (53 1/2 × 38 1/2 × 30 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of William Hokin
Reference Number: 1969.809

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