Charles Dickson: Select Works, 1965 - 2026

The gallery's first exhibition with Charles Dickson, featuring sculptures and assemblages spanning his 60+ year career exploring the African American diaspora. About parrasch heijnen is pleased to present Charles Dickson: Select Works, 1965 - 2026, the gallery's first exhibition with the Los Angeles-based artist. Charles Dickson (b. 1947, Los Angeles, CA), whose sculptures and public installations explore the African American diaspora, is a significant member of the Black arts community of Los Angeles. Focusing on the artist's deep experimental inquiry into material use, this exhibition includes work spanning Dickson's more than sixty-year career. Integrating various processes and media, including wood, metal, bronze, Styrofoam, and acrylic, Dickson's assemblage work utilizes disparate elements to engage in a dialogue about the politics of beauty. His core interest in material reflects his observation of a medium's capacity to contest the mechanical, creative, spiritual, and political contexts it inhabits. At age 19 Dickson studied under renowned figurative artist Charles White and later worked alongside Noah Purifoy, John Outterbridge, and Cecil Fergerson. Dickson's relationships and collaborations with these seminal mentors helped shape his practice and visual language. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dickson's foundational years coincided with the 1965 Watts Rebellion as well as the Civil Rights and Black Pride movements. These pivotal events informed his long-running community-based activism and creative process. In the late 1960s, Dickson became the Watts Tower artist-in-residence, a position he still holds today. He was included in several group exhibitions at Brockman Gallery in Leimert Park in the 1970s and held a solo presentation there in 1981, participating in the gallery's programming until it closed in 1990. Dickson is currently a commissioned artist for the upcoming Destination Crenshaw, an outdoor museum (Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, CA). Charles Dickson has exhibited extensively throughout the United States. Featured solo exhibitions include The Manifestation of Form, Emeritus Gallery, Santa Monica, CA (2023); All Substance Matters, Matter Studio Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2022); Metaphors, Charles Dickson, California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA (2015-2016); Charles Dickson: Legacy, A Lifetime Survey, Lancaster Museum of Art and History, Lancaster, CA (2015); Through The Eyes of Charles Dickson, Watts Towers Art Center, Noah Purifoy Gallery, Charles Mingus Youth Arts Center, Los Angeles, CA (2014); and Charles Dickson, Brockman Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (1981), among others. Select group shows include The Brockman Gallery: Los Angeles, 1967-1990, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles (upcoming 2026-2027); Back At Cha – A Celebration of Alonzo Davis, parrasch heijnen, Los Angeles, CA (2025); Life Model: Charles White and His Students, Charles White Elementary School, Los Angeles CA, organized by Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA (2019); LA Blacksmith, California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA (2019); The Eyes Sees Not Itself, Nicodim Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2018); Watts, The Loft at Liz's, Los Angeles, CA (2016); Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945 – 1980, California African American Museum, Los Angeles CA, Watts Towers Art Center, Los Angeles, CA (2011-2012); L.A. Object and David Hammons Body Prints, Tilton Gallery, New York (2006), Roberts & Tilton, Los Angeles, CA (2007); 1960s: The Second Generation, California State University, Northridge, Los Angeles, CA (1989); '85 Images by 8 Los Angeles Artists, Brockman Gallery, Los Angeles (1985); West Coast 1974: The Black Image, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA; Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (1974-1975); Los Angeles 1972: A Panorama of Black Artists, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA (1972), and Local Black Artists, Compton College, Compton, California (1971), among others. Charles Dickson: Select Works, 1965-2026 will be on view at parrasch heijnen, 1326 S. Boyle Avenue, Los Angeles, from September 19 - October 31, 2026. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, September 19 from 5-7p. Gallery staff are available to guide you through our exhibitions virtually via Zoom upon request. For more information, please contact the gallery at +1 (323) 943-9373 or info@parraschheijnen.com. Read more Toggle Installation Sculpture Mixed media