Hondells, 1965
Lacquer on Formica
43 x 43 x 3 cm
Private Collection

Chamberlain, most celebrated for his sculptures assembled from old car parts, made a rare venture into painting in the early 1960s. Titled after a 60s surf rock band, Hondells is one of a number of paintings he named after pop music groups - titles as quintessentially American as the car paint that Chamberlain used to create the paintings. Their colours were achieved by a gradual build-up of many layers of translucent lacquer. The small designs of nine squares were created with a metal template he found in a junkyard.