This work is registered with the John Chamberlain Studio, Authentication #0623.

In 1981, John Chamberlain acquired the remaining contents and metal scraps from an abandoned Tonka Toy factory, inspiring a remarkable body of small-scale sculptures now known as the Tonks. Constructed from disassembled and repurposed toy trucks and cars purchased in large quantities, these works reveal a more intimate dimension of Chamberlain’s sculptural practice while retaining the monumental force, density, and compressed energy that define his larger works. Though modest in scale, the Tonks possess an extraordinary physical presence, concentrating the tension, movement, and structural power for which the artist is celebrated. The rigidity of the salvaged metal lends the sculptures a striking sense of stability, while the playful origins of the materials and the abstract spontaneity of their compositions radiate vitality, humor, and improvisational freedom.