CHARLES ARNOLDI

Charles Arnoldi was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1946. He moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18 and received a full scholarship to attend The Art Center, Los Angeles before transferring to the Chouinard Art Institute of Los Angeles. However, he did not remain in school for long.

Outside of the educational setting, Arnoldi pursued art with passion. He took inspiration from organic forms and created a body of work that exploited the intriguing linear qualities of tree branches and shoots. For the next eight years he developed the aesthetic overlap between the geometric and organic forms that would launch his career. Arnoldi gained momentum quickly, receiving the Young Talent Award from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and exhibiting at highly acclaimed galleries throughout the country.

Arnoldi began to work in metal toward the end of the 1970s, first casting parts of trees in bronze. Working with metal and other textured materials became an important part of his oeuvre alongside an impressive body of paintings and prints.

By the 1980s Arnoldi earned a place as one of Southern California’s most widely known artists. The decade represented a period of experimentation with the incorporation of richly saturated pigments in his work and an expansion of works created on canvas that continued into the 1990s.

For over 40 years Arnoldi has created complex, dramatic works on canvas, sculpted wood, and cast metal. His works are held by institutions including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Arnoldi resides in Venice, California.

2012 – “Charles Arnoldi: Case Study,” Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico

2012 – “Charles Arnoldi,” Modernism, San Francisco, California

2011 – “Pacific Standard Time,” Martin Gropius Bau Museum, Berlin, Germany

2011 – “Venice In Venice,” Curated by Tim Nye and Jacqueline Miro, Venice, Italy

2011 – “Charles Arnoldi,” Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Los Angeles, California

2011 – “Charles Arnoldi: Artworks from the 1970s in Conjunction with Pacific Standard Time,” Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Los Angeles, California

2010 – Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard CA

2010 – “Charles Arnoldi: Wood/Early Works,” Imago Gallery, Palm Desert, California

2010 – “New Paintings by American Master Charles Arnoldi,” Buschlen Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver, California

2009 – “American Classic: Colours of Change,” Buschlen Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver, Canada

2009 – “Charles Arnoldi,” Gergory Amenoff, Ochi Gallery, Sun Valley, Idaho

2009 – “Charles Arnoldi / Don Gummer,” Eckert Fine Art, Kent, Connecticut

2008 – ” A Focus on Jacksonville Collections,” Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida

2008 – “Charles Arnoldi: Wood,” The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California

2007 – “Charles Arnoldi: New Works,” Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona

2007 – “Charles Arnoldi: The Arc Paintings,” Bobbie Greenfield Gallery, Santa Monica, California

2006 – Museum of Design, Art and Architecture, Culver City, California

2006 – “Charles Arnoldi: Cut Metal Pieces,” Charles Cowles Gallery, New York, New York

2005 – “Inside Out: Selections from the Permanent Collection,” San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, California

2005 – “Charles Arnoldi: New Paintings,” Charles Cowles Gallery, New York, New York

2004 – “Lost But Found: Assemblage,” Collage and Sculpture, 1920-2002, Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California

2004 – “Charles Arnoldi Paintings,” Dwight Hackett Projects, Santa Fe, New Mexico

2004 – “Charles Arnoldi: Recent Paintings,” Imago Galleries, Palm Desert, California

2003 – “Charles Arnoldi: Works on Paper: A Thirty-Year Survey,” 1972 – 2002, Bobbie Greenfield Gallery, Santa Monica, California

2002 – “Contemporary American Art,” Embassy of the United States of America, Vienna, Austria

2002 – “Charles Arnoldi: Harmony of Line and Color,” Busan Metropolitan Art Museum, Busan, Korea

2001 – “Recent Acquisitions of Contemporary California Works on Paper,” California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, California

2001 – “Charles Arnoldi: Paintings,” Charles Cowles Gallery, New York, New York

2000 – “Charles Arnoldi: Paintings,” Ochi Fine Art, Ketchum, Idaho

2000 – “New Paintings,” Skidmore Contemporary Art Malibu, California

1999 – “Charles Arnoldi: New Works,” Chac-Mool Contemporary Fine Art, West Hollywood, California

1999 – “Charles Arnoldi: Painting of Sculpture,” Ochi Fine Art, Ketchum, Idaho

1998 – “New Works: Charles Arnoldi,” Parchman Stremmel Galleries, San Antonio, Texas

1997 – “The View from Denver,” Museum of Modern Art, Vienna, Austria

1997 – “Charles Arnoldi Monotypes: A Survey 1987 – 1996,” Flanders Graphics, Minneapolis, Minnesota

1997 – “Charles Arnoldi: New Paintings,” Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, New York

1996 – “Works on Paper: Gouahces and Monotypes,” Ochi Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho

1996 – “Charles Arnoldi: Charles Arnoldi; A Mid-Career Survey: 1970 – 1996,” Fred Hoffman Fine Art, Santa Monica, California

1995 – “LA Current: Works on Paper,” UCLA Art Rental and Sales Gallery at the Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California

1995 – Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, California

1994 – “Putting Things Together/Recent Sculpture from the Anderson Collection,” Art Museum of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California

1994 – Ochi Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho

1994 – Klein Art Works, Chicago, Illinois

1993 – “The Contemporary Museum Collects: The First Five Years 1988-1993,” The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii

1993 – Charles Cowles Gallery New York, New York

1992 – “Selections from the Marcia Weisman Collection,” The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California

1992 – Monotypes, Gallery Kuranuki Osaka, Japan

1992 – Sun Gallery Seoul, Korea

1991 – Gallery Kuranuki Osaka, Japan

1991 – “Charles Arnoldi: Oil Paintings on Canvas, Cast Bronze Sculptures,” Fred Hoffman Gallery Santa Monica, California

1990 – “Selections from the Carnation Company Collection,” The Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, California

1990 – “The Unique Print: 70s into 90s,” Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts

1990 – Flanders Contemporary Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota

1990 – Arthur Roger Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana

1990 – Michael Dunev Gallery, San Francisco, California

1990 – Malmgran Gallery, Goteborg, Sweden

1989 – James Corcoran Gallery, Santa Monica, California

1989 – “Charles Arnoldi: Recent Monotypes from the Garner Tullis Workshop,” Pamela Auchincloss Gallery, New York, New York

1988 – Klein Gallery, Chicago, Illinois

1988 – Richard Green Gallery, Los Angeles, California

1988 – “Charles Arnoldi: Painting and Sculpture, 1971 – 1988,” Museo Italo Americano, San Francisco, California

1987 – “Prints by Los Angeles Artists,” Asahi Shimbun Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1987 – Fuller Goldeen Gallery, San Francisco, California

1987 – Texas Gallery, Houston, Texas

1987 – “Arnoldi: Just Bronze,” University Art Museum, California State University, Long beach, California

1986 – “Public and Private: American Prints Today,” The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York

1986 – “Garner Tullis Workshop: Monotypes,” Galerie au Poisson Rouge, Vully, Switzerland

1986 – New City Additions, Venice, California

1986 – Janie Beggs Gallery, Aspen, Colorado

1986 – “Arnoldi: Recent Paintings,” University of Missouri, Kansas City Gallery of Art, Kansas City, Missouri

1985 – Fuller Goldeen Gallery, San Francisco, California

1985 – Thomas Babeor Gallery, La Jolla, California

1985 – James Corcoran Gallery, Los Angeles, California

1984 – “Out of Square: View Point ’84,” Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

1984 – “Charles Arnoldi: Unique Prints,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California

1983 – “The Bay Area Collects,” San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California

1983 – “Young Talent Awards: 1963-1983,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California

1983 – Texas Gallery, Houston, Texas

1982 – “Works from the Collection of Security Pacific,” Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, California

1982 – “L.A. Art: An Exhibition of Contemporary Paintings,” Nagoya City Museum, Nagoya, Japan; also shown at Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, California

1982 – James Corcoran Gallery, Los Angeles, California

1981 – “Los Angeles Prints, 1883-1980,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles

1981 – Hansen-Fuller-Goldeen Gallery, San Francisco, California

1980 – James Corcoran Gallery, Los Angeles, California

1979 – The Dootson Collection, Seattle Museum of Art, Seattle, Washington

1979 – Texas Gallery, Houston, Texas

1979 – Dobrick Gallery, Chicago, Illinois

1978 – “Painting and Sculpture Today 1978,” Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana

1978 – Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California

1978 – Robert Elkon Gallery, New York, New York

1977 – Texas Gallery, Houston, Texas

1976 – Seattle Museum of Art, Seattle, Washington

1975 – Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California

1974 – “Fifteen Abstract Artists,” Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California

1974 – Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California

1973 – “Ten Years of Contemporary Arts Council Acquisitions,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California

1973 – 8e Biennale de Paris, Paris, France

1972 – “Fifteen Los Angeles Artists,” Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, California

1972 – “The Power Survey of Contemporary Art 1972,” Power Institute of Fine Arts, University of Sydney, Australia; shown at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

1972 – Texas Gallery, Houston, Texas

1971 – “Seventieth American Exhibition,” The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

1971 – Riko Mizuno Gallery, Los Angeles, California

1970 – “Permutations: Light and Color, Museum of Contemporary Art,” Chicago, Illinois

1970 – “A Decade of California Color,” Pace Gallery, New York, New York

Charles Arnoldi Official Website

Charles Arnoldi – Works

Malibu Times – “The Evolution of Charles Arnoldi” 

LA Times – “Charles Arnoldi’s Malibu beach house, the ultimate artist’s canvas” by Ricardo DeAratanha

Artfix Daily – “Charles Arnoldi Bronze Offered at Clarke Auction March 17th”

Pepperdine University – “Charles Arnoldi Exhibit Comes Exclusively to Pepperdine, Press Release”