Home

In Conversation with Alexandra Fairweather, the Director of the John Chamberlain Estate

In this exclusive video celebrating Living with Chamberlain, Fairweather pays tribute to the artist from inside his Shelter Island studio.

Posted on
Alexandra Fairweather has served as Director of the John Chamberlain Estate since 2017, focusing on the preservation of the late artist's life, work, and legacy. Photo by Mark Zhelezoglo.

On the sunlit eastern edge of Shelter Island, inside a studio alive with memory and metal, Alexandra Fairweather walks among the sculptures of her stepfather, the legendary artist John Chamberlain. It's a place where color hums with energy, and where art and legacy are as much a part of the walls as the works themselves. 

“John Chamberlain is one of the most important artists of the last century,” Fairweather says. “He redefined what art is and what it could be, not only by the use of the materials that he used, whether it be automobile parts or foam, or paper bags, or plexiglass, or his revolutionary photography and filmmaking, but also his use of color.”

The special edition of Living with Chamberlain is presented in a luxury clamshell case and features a unique sculptural piece with metals sourced directly from Chamberlain's studio. It is limited to 200 copies and features a limited edition print. Photo by Mark Zhelezoglo.

Indeed, color was Chamberlain’s secret weapon—electric, expressive, often unexpected. Where sculpture once shied away from color, he made it essential. In doing so, he changed not only how sculpture looked, but how it felt—vibrant, visceral, alive. “He changed the landscape for sculpture,” Fairweather says. “And as such, the artists that came behind him were so inspired, they were able to rethink what art could be for them.”

In this intimate video, timed to the release of Assouline’s Living with Chamberlain, Fairweather reflects on the artist who left an indelible mark on the creative world by viewing the discarded and overlooked as mediums of endless potential. With equal parts rebellion and refinement, he gave industrial waste a new kind of glamour and gravity—one that still stuns in its scale, spontaneity, and startling beauty.

Living with Chamberlain captures this spirit, blending vivid photography of his work and life with reflections from artists, curators, and those who knew him best.

Left: Serving as the Director of the John Chamberlain Estate since 2017, Alexandra Fairweather is dedicated to preserving the life, work, and legacy of the artist. Right: A sculpture by John Chamberlain in his Estate in Shelter Island, New York. Images by Mark Zhelezoglo.

The World of Chamberlain
The Classics Collection Living with Chamberlain, Art in Residence
$120 USD
Special Edition
Special Editions Living with Chamberlain, Art in Residence (Special Edition)
$2,500 USD

More from Culture Lounge

Beyond the Cover

Paris by Paris is a City Captured in a Book

Watch co-authors Harold Cobert and Ariel Wizman discuss the city’s ever-evolving spirit, the stories that shaped it, and the vision behind this extraordinary book.

Beyond the Cover

From Concept To Creation With Daniel Arsham

Step inside the creative process of renowned visual artist Daniel Arsham as he reimagines the special edition of The Book of HOV: A Tribute to Jay-Z, transforming it into a sculptural masterpiece.

Beyond the Cover

Introducing Federer by Roger Federer

Special projects editor Kristian Laliberte discusses his experience collaborating with Roger Federer, a “humanizing champion.”