Charles "Chuck" Arnoldi

American, b. 1946

Charles “Chuck” Arnoldi is one of the most celebrated and enduring figures in the postwar Southern California art scene. Born in 1946, Arnoldi emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s as part of the innovative artistic climate of Los Angeles, where artists were pushing the boundaries of materials, form, and abstraction.

Arnoldi first gained widespread recognition for his sculptural works made from assembled sticks, branches, and chainsaw-cut wood — raw, gestural constructions that brought the energy of the natural world into the gallery. Over the following decades, he expanded his practice into painting, printmaking, and large-scale public sculpture, developing a visual language defined by bold geometric abstraction, dynamic line, and vibrant color.

His paintings and prints are characterized by sweeping arcs, interlocking forms, and a sense of rhythmic movement that reflects his long-standing interest in structure, space, and the expressive potential of line. Works from his celebrated Arcs series exemplify this approach, translating the kinetic energy of his larger canvases into intimate and highly collectible print formats.

Arnoldi’s prints have been published by some of the most respected workshops in the world, including Landfall Press (Chicago), Tamarind Institute, and Thumbprint Editions (London). His work is held in major museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.