# Charles Arnoldi

Charles Arthur Arnoldi (born April 10, 1946) is an American painter, sculptor and printmaker.

## Life and work

Arnoldi began using actual tree branches as a compositional element in his works, combined with painting to create stick constructions. These works did not endeavor to create illusions but rather inhabited physical space.
In the early 1970s, the artist attracted attention for his wall-relief wood sculptures, such as Honeymoons in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art. He had his first solo exhibition at the Riko Mizuno Gallery in Los Angeles in 1971. The following year he was included in Documenta V, Kassel, Germany, 1972. In 1977, Arnoldi was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for Fine Arts. That same year, he had his first stick sculpture cast in bronze. Roark, in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art, is a monumental example of this technique. The use of wood remained a feature of Arnoldi's oeuvre, although, since the 1980s, he has often employed it in combination with other media. In the 1990s, Arnoldi's output changed radically. He began producing abstract paintings on canvas, first black and white, and later brightly colored. Justice is an example of these free-flowing organic paintings. He played himself in the 2005 film, Sketches of Frank Gehry, directed by Sydney Pollack. Arnoldi lives and works in Los Angeles.

## Publications

* Arnoldi, Charles, Charles Arnoldi: 1972-2008, Santa Fe, New Mexico: Radius Books, 2008. ISBN 1934435074.
* Arnoldi, Charles, Charles Arnoldi, A Mid-Career Survey: 1970-1996, Los Angeles: Fred Hoffman Fine Art, 1996.
* Arnoldi, Charles, Charles Arnoldi, Osaka: Gallery Kuranuki, 1991.
* Arnoldi, Charles, Charles Arnoldi: Recent Monotypes from the Garner Tullis Workshop, New York: Pamela Auchincloss Gallery, 1989.
* Arts Club of Chicago, Charles Arnoldi, A Survey: 1971-1986, Chicago: Arts Club of Chicago, 1986.
* Busan Metropolitan Art Museum, Harmony of Line and Color, Charles Arnoldi, Busan: Busan Metropolitan Art Museum, 2002.
* Butterfield, Jan, Charles Arnoldi, Laddie John Dill, Fullerton, Calif.: California State University at Fullerton Art Gallery, 1983. ISBN 0935314245.
* California State University at Fullerton, Arnoldi/Cooper/McCollum/Wudl, Fullerton, Calif.: California State University at Fullerton Art Gallery, 1972.
* California State University, Arnoldi: Just Bronze, Long Beach, Calif.: California State University, Long Beach, 1987. ISBN 0936270268.
* Cooper, Ron & Laddie John Dill, Recent Works: Charles Arnoldi, Santa Fe: Sena Galleries West, 1987.
* Gehry, Frank O, Charles Arnoldi, New York: Charles Cowles Gallery, 1994.
* Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Charles Arnoldi: Unique Prints, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984.
* Museo ItaloAmericano, Charles Arnoldi: Painting and Sculpture, 1971-1988, San Francisco: Museo ItaloAmericano, 1988.
* University of Missouri-Kansas City, Arnoldi: Recent Paintings, Kansas City: University of Missouri-Kansas City, 1986.
* Zakian, Michael, Charles Arnoldi: Wood, Malibu, California: The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, 2008. ISBN 1882705068.

## Collections

Arnoldi's work is held in the following permanent collections:
* Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago: 2 paintings (as of June 15, 2024)
* Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: 1 work (as of June 15, 2024)
* Museum of Modern Art, New York: 1 painting (as of June 15, 2024)
* Whitney Museum, New York: 1 work (as of June 15, 2024)