Gallery view of Reggie Burrows Hodges: A Theater of Passions, October 20, 2026—February 28, 2027, at the Getty Center. Left to right: The System of Shannon's Discontent 1, 2023; The System of Shannon's Discontent 2, 2023 (both works courtesy of the artist and Karma). Artwork © Reggie Burrows Hodges. Image © 2026 J. Paul Getty Trust.
Painter Reggie Burrows Hodges brings a contemporary perspective to 17th-century European art in Reggie Burrows Hodges: A Theater of Passions, opening at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The exhibition features paintings inspired by works in the Getty’s collection, exploring the violence and theatricality behind historical narratives. It is part of a three-venue presentation that also includes exhibitions at the California African American Museum and Art + Practice.
Born in Compton in 1965, Hodges draws on Old Master paintings to examine power, memory, and human experience. He often begins with the compositions of historical works, then reshapes their themes through his own visual language. His paintings emerge from black grounds, with figures defined by soft, gestural marks and richly rendered surroundings. The dark palettes and hazy contours evoke the uncertainty of memory, giving ordinary gestures a heightened emotional presence.
At the Getty, Hodges responds to three Italian paintings: Orazio Gentileschi’s Lot and His Daughters and Danaë and the Shower of Gold, and Artemisia Gentileschi’s Lucretia. Each work contains dramatic narratives shaped by violence, vulnerability, and power. Hodges draws out these underlying tensions through atmospheric compositions that favor psychological presence over naturalistic detail. His interpretations offer a contemporary reading of the original paintings without losing sight of their emotional complexity.
The presentation extends to the California African American Museum, where Reggie Burrows Hodges: A Theater of Miracles explores further connections to historical painting. Several works take inspiration from the Getty’s collection, including Jacopo Bassano’s 16th-century painting The Miracle of the Quail. Hodges reworks the drama of these earlier compositions while directing attention toward the everyday gestures that give his scenes their emotional weight.
At Art + Practice in Leimert Park, Reggie Burrows Hodges: A Theater of Dreams turns toward the experiences behind the artist’s work. The paintings draw on his childhood in Compton, Leimert Park’s cultural legacy, and his travels through Europe. These references reveal how personal history and place inform his engagement with artistic traditions.
Together, the three exhibitions provide a broader view of Hodges’s practice. The Getty presentation foregrounds his dialogue with European painting, while the companion shows explore the historical and personal influences that shape his imagery.
Reggie Burrows Hodges: A Theater of Passions will be on view at the Getty Center through February 28, 2027. The accompanying exhibitions, A Theater of Miracles at the California African American Museum and A Theater of Dreams at Art + Practice, will run through February 28 and February 27, 2027, respectively.
At the Getty Center, A Theater of Passions features five new paintings by Reggie Burrows Hodges inspired by 17th-century Italian masterpieces in the museum’s collection.
Gallery view of Reggie Burrows Hodges: A Theater of Passions, October 20, 2026—February 28, 2027, at the Getty Center. Image © 2026 J. Paul Getty Trust.
“The System of Shannon’s Discontent 2,” 2023, Reggie Burrows Hodges (American, b. 1965). Acrylic and pastel on linen, 78 × 97 5/8 in. (198.1 × 248 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Karma © Reggie Burrows Hodges
Gallery view of Reggie Burrows Hodges: A Theater of Passions, October 20, 2026—February 28, 2027, at the Getty Center. Artwork © Reggie Burrows Hodges. Image © 2026 J. Paul Getty Trust
“Following the Thread,” 2023, Reggie Burrows Hodges (American, b. 1965). Acrylic and pastel on linen, 38 1/2 × 50 7/8 in. (97.8 × 129.2 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Karma © Reggie Burrows Hodges
“The System of Shannon’s Discontent 1,” 2023, Reggie Burrows Hodges (American, b. 1965). Acrylic and pastel on linen, 77 1/2 × 107 1/4 in. (196.9 × 272.4 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Karma © Reggie Burrows Hodges
Hodges reinterprets works by Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi, examining the violence, drama, and theatricality behind their biblical and mythological narratives.
Reggie Burrows Hodges, Two Handled Wand, 2023. Acrylic and pastel on linen, 38 1⁄8 x 45 5⁄8 in. Courtesy the artist and Karma.
Reggie Burrows Hodges, A Discarding of Self, 2023. Acrylic and pastel on linen, 78 1⁄8 x 50 in. Courtesy the artist and Karma.
Reggie Burrows Hodges, Community Concern (Vee Marie), 2023. Acrylic and pastel on linen, 25 3⁄4 x 43 1⁄8 in. Courtesy the artist and Karma.
Reggie Burrows Hodges, Shadow Swing, 2026. Acrylic and pastel on linen, 92 1⁄4 x 139 1⁄8 in. Courtesy the artist and Karma.
“Aida the Homegirl,” 2024, Reggie Burrows Hodges (American, b. 1965). Acrylic and pastel on linen, 78 1/4 × 98 1/2 in. (198.8 × 250.2 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Karma © Reggie Burrows Hodges
Two complementary exhibitions at the California African American Museum and Art + Practice expand on Hodges’ approach, exploring the influence of Old Masters alongside his childhood in Compton and the cultural legacy of South Los Angeles.
Gallery view featuring Aida the Homegirl, 2024 (Courtesy of the artist and Karma), in Reggie Burrows Hodges: A Theater of Passions, October 20, 2026—February 28, 2027, at the Getty Center. Artwork © Reggie Burrows Hodges. Image © 2026 J. Paul Getty Trust
Reggie Burrows Hodges, Socrate, 2024. Acrylic and pastel on linen, 101 1⁄2 x 80 in. Courtesy the artist and Karma.
Reggie Burrows Hodges, Public Notice, 2023–2024. Acrylic and pastel on linen, 50 x 46 1⁄4 in. Courtesy the artist and Karma.
“The System of Shannon’s Discontent 3,” 2023, Reggie Burrows Hodges (American, b. 1965). Acrylic and pastel on linen, 66 × 101 in. (167.6 × 256.5 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Karma © Reggie Burrows Hodges
