John Chamberlain Working
George Segal
American, 1924–2000
1965-67
A life-size painted-plaster figure of sculptor John Chamberlain leaning over a chaotic mass of crushed sheet steel, with Segal aiming to freeze the physical act of making into a single moment.
What strikes you is the tactile clash—the ghostly, textured plaster body and lowered visor of the human figure against the shimmering, violently folded metal that seems to burst from his hands.
By pairing cast figuration with automotive scrap, Segal bridges humanist portraiture and found-material experimentation, commenting on artistic labor and expanding what sculpture could be in the 1960s.
Medium
Painted plaster and steel
Dimensions
69 1/2 x 53 1/2 x 54" (176.5 x 135.9 x 137.1 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Carroll Janis and Conrad Janis
Accession
136.1985
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
