The Robert and Suzanne Pannier Collection

In *Madison*, created in 1965, John Chamberlain transforms fragments of automobile bodywork into a compact sculpture in which the metal is caught in a compressive force. Sheets of metal painted burgundy red and turquoise blue are bent, crushed, and welded together. Their surfaces retain the traces of these deformations: protruding edges, deep indentations, folds, and abrupt changes in direction. Born in 1927 in the United States, Chamberlain made a name for himself in the 1950s through his use of salvaged parts. In contrast to traditional sculpture, which is based on shaping or carving a material, he worked with elements already shaped by industry. Their preexisting forms partly determined the possibilities for assembly. By using automobile body parts—a symbol of postwar American consumer society— Madison maintains a connection to the imagery of Pop Art, while developing an abstract language all his own. The work