Open daily 11:00AM-6:00PM through September 3rd and September 10th through 14th.
The Hole is pleased to present a special exhibition of works from the estate of Nicholas Hondrogen (1952–2007), organized in partnership with his longtime friend and estate manager Jeff Vespa. The show marks the first time since his passing that key works from across decades of his career will be brought together in Los Angeles.
The exhibition traces Hondrogen’s restless experimentation, beginning with shaped canvases and material explorations from the 1970s, created while living in Paris. The main gallery highlights luminous oil-on-Mylar paintings from the 1990s, layered with poured pigment and energetic line work, while the rear gallery presents his late “Fractal Ellipse” paintings—large-scale oil-and-wax works on styrene panel that reflect his deep engagement with abstraction in the final years of his life. One of his last works, Fractal Ellipse No. 31, incorporates a full-body scan of the artist overlaid with vivid orange ellipses, a meditation on both presence and mortality.
Born in New Hampshire, Hondrogen studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston before moving to Paris, where his early works were acquired by institutions including the Centre Pompidou and Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris. Though the 1990s saw him turn toward filmmaking, he returned fully to painting with his acclaimed series Mumonkan (1996–2000), Natural Selection (2000–2002), and Fractal Ellipse (2002–2007). He received a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant shortly before his death from peritoneal mesothelioma at age 55.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Fractal Ellipse No. 29, 2004, oil and wax on styrene mounted on baltic plywood, 49 x 78 inches, 123 x 198 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Fractal Ellipse No. 25, 2004, oil and wax on styrene mounted on baltic plywood, 49 x 78 inches, 123 x 198 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Fractal Ellipse No. 24, 2004, oil and wax on styrene mounted on baltic plywood, 49 x 78 inches, 123 x 198 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Fractal Ellipse (Fin), 2007, oil on linen, 96 x 168 inches, 244 x 427 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Fractal Ellipse No. 30 (Le Deluge), 2004, oil and wax on styrene mounted on baltic plywood, 90 x 145 inches, 229 x 368 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Fractal Ellipse, 2006, oil on linen, 96 x 96 inches, 244 x 244 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Ghost Image No. 4, 1974, oil, pastel, charcoal and collage on linen, 64 x 51 inches, 163 x 129 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Siamese No. 12, 1974, oil, gesso, charcoal, glue and foam on linen, 52 x 65 inches, 132 x 165 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Extension No. 5, 1975, oil, gesso, foam, pastel, charcoal and flocking on linen, 51 x 90 inches, 129 x 227 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Siamese No. 9, 1974, oil, gesso, charcoal, glue and foam on linen diptych, 58 x 82 inches, 147 x 208 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Untitled Mumonkan, 1998, oil on mylar, 36 x 48 inches, 91 x 122 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, In the Naked Shadow of a Boxer Gone, 1998, oil on mylar, 36 x 48 inches, 91 x 122 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Pride and Envy, 1997, oil on mylar, 42 x 30 inches, 107 x 76 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop, 1997, oil on mylar, 42 x 30 inches, 107 x 76 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Tonight Hong Kong Belongs to China, 1997, oil on mylar, 42 x 30 inches, 107 x 76 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, A New Ghost Image For a New World III, 1997, oil on mylar, 36 x 24 inches, 91 x 61 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Pride and Envy, 1997, oil on mylar, 42 x 30 inches, 107 x 76 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, A New Ghost Image for a New World I, 1997, oil on mylar, 36 x 24 inches, 91 x 61 cm.
Nicholas Hondrogen, Negotiating/Desperation Diptych, 1998, oil on mylar, 36 x 48 inches, 91 x 122 cm.