Overview

Karl Haendel (b. 1976, New York City, USA, lives and works in Los Angeles, USA) is an American artist known for his thought-provoking hyperrealistic drawings. Haendel delves into themes of culture, politics and identity. His large-scale, detailed graphite works often incorporate imagery from a variety of historical and personal sources, inviting viewers to reevaluate the context and significance of well-known images, stimulating reflection on societal norms and power dynamics. The artist was one of the creatives awarded the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship for 2026.

 

Haendel has participated in numerous international group exhibitions, including Aspen Art Museum; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Drawing Center, New York; Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo; Musee d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain, Nice; New Museum, New York; Serpentine Galleries, London; Herning Museum of Contemporary Art and Kunsthalle Bielefeld. Notable solo museum shows include LAXArt, Los Angeles; Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and Kimball Art Center, Park City. Haendel’s works are held in collections of major international museums such as Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo; Collection Lambert, Avignon; Deutsche Bank Collection, Frankfurt; Harvard University's Fogg Art Museum, Boston; Friedrich Christian Flick Collection, Berlin; Guggenheim Museum, New York; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Kadist Art Foundation, Paris; Kunsthalle Bielefeld; La Coleccion Jumex, Mexico City; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Marciano Art Foundation, Los Angeles; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museo d’arte della Svizzera italiana, Lugano; Sammlung Wemhöner; Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach; Perez Art Museum, Miami; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; RISD Museum, Providence; Rubell Family Collection, Miami and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

Works
  • Hands and Things
    Hands and Things
  • Hands and Things
    Hands and Things
  • Tiger 2, 2019, pencil and ink on paper, 72.5 x 51.5 inches
    Tiger 2
  • A Slice Through the World: Contemporary Artists' Drawings
    A Slice Through the World: Contemporary Artists' Drawings
  • KH_Z_94
    How Do I Sell More Art
  • KH_Z_61
    Child King 2
  • KH_Z_60
    Child King
  • KH_Z_59
    Two Handed (Left)
  • KH_Z_58
    Two Handed (Right)
  • Bildschirmfoto 2018-11-16 um 11.45.38[1]
    Bison 2
  • TGood wentrup kh-03112017-3256-Edit
    Marlene Dietrich (with cracked egg and Zoloft)
  • Spaceman, 2015, pencil on paper, 73 x 52[1]
    Spaceman
  • WENTRUP artdoc 03022017-518-Edit
    Killing Pablo #10(B)
  • Digital billboard
    Digital billboard
  • Foto
    Slot
  • Ready List, 2014, pencil and enamel on paper, 83 x 103_
    Ready List
  • 3-Wishbone (football #2), 2011, pencil on paper, 84 x 103
    Wishbone (football #2)
  • Warrant, 2014, pencil and enamel on cut paper, 76 x 51.5
    Warrant
  • KH_Z_29_b
    Dokken
  • WENTRUP artdoc 05102016-0000-2-Edit
    Unfinished Obama (mirrored)
  • Power Cord #3, 2011, 190 x 130.5 cm
    Power Cord #3
  • KHAENDEL artdoc 05 04 2016 Horse
    Rodeo
  • 5th Question Mark
    5th Question Mark
  • ⌘ #4
    ⌘ #4
  • Digital billboard
    Digital billboard
  • (Light to Medium) Heartburn Relief
    (Light to Medium) Heartburn Relief
  • KH_Z_19_a
    Surya #3
  • Tom & Jerry #1
    Tom & Jerry #1
  • Sharpie Van Gogh 3
    Sharpie Van Gogh 3
  • The Golem of Prague
    The Golem of Prague
  • Tarot Parrot 2
    Tarot Parrot 2
  • Still Life From Life #5
    Still Life From Life #5
  • Parenthetical Ellipses 7
    Parenthetical Ellipses 7
  • Obfuscated Mouse 4
    Obfuscated Mouse 4
  • KH_Z_18
    Babur #2
  • No Title
    No Title
  • Lamplight 2
    Lamplight 2
  • Max Beckmann's Tinder
    Max Beckmann's Tinder
  • I have willingly surrendered to algorithms...
    I have willingly surrendered to algorithms...
  • I can smell my own fear
    I can smell my own fear
  • I want to love you but I just can't right now.
    I want to love you but I just can't right now.
  • Glass House 4
    Glass House 4
  • Column 3
    Column 3
  • Column 1
    Column 1
  • Ear #5
    Ear #5
  • Armadillo 2
    Armadillo 2
  • Angel’s Pencil
    Angel’s Pencil
  • Hands and Things
    Hands and Things
  • Self Portrait as a Knight 2
    Self Portrait as a Knight 2
  • Covid Auto-Orgy 4
    Covid Auto-Orgy 4
  • Hazel's Room
    Hazel's Room
  • Lion with Mobile
    Lion with Mobile
  • sketch-lion on side with picasso
    sketch-lion on side with picasso
  • Texas State House
    Texas State House
  • Hands Holding Scribble
    Hands Holding Scribble
  • KH_Z_14
    Agni
  • Hawk 1
    Hawk 1
  • Fútbol 1
    Fútbol 1
  • Rodeo 9
    Rodeo 9
  • Helene Shani Braun, Abraham Geiger College, University of Potsdam, 2022, pencil on paper, 103 x 85 inches
    Helene Shani Braun, Abraham Geiger College, University of Potsdam
  • Imam Seyran Ates, Ibn Rushd-Goethe Mosque, Berlin, 2022, pencil on paper, 103 x 84 inches (261.5 x 213.5 cm)
    Imam Seyran Ates, Ibn Rushd-Goethe Mosque, Berlin
  • KH_Z_12
    Brahmos
  • Hands and Things
    Hands and Things
  • Not Titled (Streisand), 2021, pencil on folded paper, 51.5 x 38 inches (131 x 96.5 cm)
    Not Titled (Streisand)
  • Bald Eagle, 2020, pencil on paper, 65.5 x 45 inches
    Bald Eagle
  • KH_Z_109
    Tiger with Ring
  • KH_Z_102
    Mountain Lion 2
  • KH_Z_100
    Lion 8
  • Digital billboard
    Digital billboard
  • Digital billboard
    Digital billboard
  • Hands and Things
    Hands and Things
Gallery Exhibitions
Institutional Exhibitions
News
Publications
Video