John Chamberlain, renowned for his innovative sculpture, explored various materials throughout his career, including a distinctive phase with Plexiglas in the mid-1970s. While he is best known for his work with crushed automobile steel that highlighted the expressive potential and aesthetic beauty of industrial materials, Chamberlain's exploration with Plexiglas represented a notable deviation into new material realms. This period was characterized by an experimental approach, leveraging the translucency and flexibility of Plexiglas to further his investigation into form, color, and spatial relationships.

During the 1970s, Chamberlain continued to evolve his artistic language by incorporating materials like galvanized steel, urethane foam, and mineral-coated Plexiglas into his sculptures. This experimentation followed his initial forays into using automobile parts in the 1950s and 1960s, a practice that he would return to with a renewed perspective in the mid-1970s after his explorative period with other materials, including Plexiglas​ (Skarstedt)​.

Chamberlain's work is held in high regard, with his sculptures being part of prestigious collections worldwide, such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Dia:Beacon in New York, and the Tate Modern in London, among others. His approach to sculpture was intuitive, often reflecting on the importance of knowing when to stop working on a piece, emphasizing the process of creation as much as the final outcome. He once stated, "Stopping is the key; you have to know when to stop. If I feel so glad that a sculpture is here, and I don’t care who did it, then I figure it's a good piece"​ (Wikipedia)​.

Despite the notable achievements and recognition Chamberlain received over his career, including multiple fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and membership in the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, he remained modest about his work. He famously remarked on the ambiguity of his sculptures' meaning, underscoring his belief in the subjective experience of art​ (Wikipedia)​.

The period when Chamberlain worked with Plexiglas is reflective of his broader artistic journey—marked by experimentation, a deep engagement with material properties, and an enduring influence on contemporary sculpture. His legacy is a testament to the power of innovation and the endless possibilities of artistic exploration.