# What Is Charles Arnoldi’s String Theory at Michael Kohn Gallery? By Marius Pașculea | 2026-11-04 HTML version: https://antre.art/blog/charles-arnoldi-string-theory-kohn-gallery-what-to-know/ > Charles Arnoldi's String Theory runs at Michael Kohn Gallery through December 19: paintings from 2016-2019 where fluid charcoal-and-acrylic lines meet the canvas edge. Hours. ## Short answer *Charles Arnoldi: String Theory* is on view at Michael Kohn Gallery, 1227 North Highland Avenue in Hollywood, through December 19, 2026. The exhibition presents a series of paintings Arnoldi made between 2016 and 2019, in which fluid networks of line in charcoal and acrylic are contained by the rectilinear edges of the canvas. ## Key facts - **Who:** Charles Arnoldi, born 1946 in Dayton, Ohio, based in Malibu, a central figure of West Coast abstraction for nearly six decades. - **What:** *String Theory*, paintings from 2016–2019 in acrylic and charcoal on canvas. - **Where:** Michael Kohn Gallery, 1227 North Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038. - **When:** Opened October 3, 2026; on view through December 19, 2026. - **Hours:** Tuesday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM; Saturday, 11 AM to 6 PM. Admission is free. ## What will you see? Networks of lyrical lines that dance across the surface. Arnoldi translates fluid gestures to canvas with his arm and hand, a process akin to surrealist automatic drawing, and uses the edges of the canvas as guard rails: where Jackson Pollock spread paint with his whole body, Arnoldi restrains the pictorial energy into an elegant equilibrium. As the series progressed, certain shapes arose within the linear intersections, and the artist filled them with color — forms born of spontaneity that float, almost Calder-like, in a delicate balance. The series title borrows the physics term, but Arnoldi took it from a book: Yuval Noah Harari's *Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind*, which argues that humans developed the capacity to imagine things that do not physically exist. The paintings are in dialogue with Ellsworth Kelly, Elizabeth Murray and Brice Marden. ## Who is Charles Arnoldi? Now 80, Arnoldi is the elder statesman of West Coast painting, with more than 55 years of exhibitions worldwide. He first won major acclaim in the 1970s with twig-and-stick constructions, then chainsaw-carved plywood works and hard-edge geometric paintings. "In abstract painting, an artist invents a problem and solves it," he says. Michael Kohn Gallery, founded in 1985, is a [commercial contemporary art gallery](https://antre.art/blog/what-is-a-commercial-contemporary-art-gallery/) that pairs historically significant exhibitions with contemporary artists. ## How do you visit? The gallery is at 1227 North Highland Avenue in Hollywood, open Tuesday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM, and Saturday, 11 AM to 6 PM. Admission is free. Paintings built from layered lines reward slow looking; our guide on [how to look closely at a single work](https://antre.art/blog/how-to-look-at-manuel-alvarez-bravo-photograph/) applies to these canvases too. ## FAQ ### When does Charles Arnoldi: String Theory close? The exhibition is on view through December 19, 2026. ### Does it cost anything? No. Admission to Michael Kohn Gallery is free. ### What are the hours? Tuesday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM; Saturday, 11 AM to 6 PM. ### What does the title String Theory mean? Arnoldi borrowed the physics term for the formal look of the paintings, after reading Yuval Noah Harari's *Sapiens*, which links human cognition to the capacity to imagine things that do not physically exist. ## About Antre Antre is building an app that gives artworks their context, starting with New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Join the waiting list at antre.art. ## Sources - Michael Kohn Gallery, exhibition page for *Charles Arnoldi: String Theory*: dates, works, essay and artist background. - Michael Kohn Gallery, contact page: address and gallery hours. More context: our guides to [Todd Gray's Church and State at The Brick](https://antre.art/blog/todd-gray-church-and-state-the-brick-what-to-know/) and [the Brockman Gallery exhibition at LACMA](https://antre.art/blog/brockman-gallery-lacma-los-angeles-what-to-know/). ## Be first when Antre opens. Join the waiting list for Antre, the adaptive cultural mediation app for Art Explorers, with hyper-personalized cultural context for every artwork, and Antre Art Voice, for galleries, artist-run spaces, artists and curators. One email at launch. Email address Join the waiting list Company I agree to receive an Antre launch email. I can withdraw anytime. [Privacy Policy](/privacy-policy/).