
Shackelton #24
2009
Shackelton #24 is a monumental pencil-on-paper work measuring over five by seven feet, its scale alone signaling the ambition behind Karl Haendel's meticulous practice. Executed in 2009, the drawing belongs to Haendel's ongoing engagement with found imagery and cultural memory, translating photographic and archival sources into dense, labor-intensive graphite compositions that reward extended looking. The surface carries the full range of the pencil's tonal capacity, from soft atmospheric passages to sharp, high-contrast passages of shadow and light, all achieved without the mediation of paint or digital process. This directness of means against such an imposing format is central to the work's power. Haendel, based in Los Angeles, has built a critically recognized body of work that interrogates how images accumulate meaning as they circulate through popular culture, history, and personal experience. The Shackelton series reflects his sustained interest in figures and episodes that sit at the edges of collective consciousness, not quite forgotten and not quite canonical, charged with the kind of ambiguity that resists easy resolution. Works of this scale and medium are relatively rare in his output, making Shackelton #24 a particularly significant example for collectors seeking a work that embodies both conceptual rigor and exceptional craft. The piece is signed by the artist and is presented unframed, allowing the collector flexibility in presentation. It comes to the market through the Aspen Art Museum Benefit Auction, kindly donated by the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles.
- Medium
- Pencil on Paper
- Overall
- Signed
- Yes
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