Felrath hines biography
Felrath Hines (1913-1993) believed that painting was, above all else, a personal pursuit. Hines’ lifelong interests in technical precision and harmonious colors were evident throughout his career. In the 40s and 50s, his figurative works were influenced by the Cubist movement, which in turn, was influenced by tribal African shields and masks. In the 60s he transitioned to expressionist landscapes, claiming that other artists were far better at rendering realistic images, so why not explore the abstract? Unsatisfied unless he was challenging himself, the 70s saw him begin to explore harmonious biomorphic forms. Once satisfied with that exploration, he turned to the De Stijl movement for further inspiration.
Felrath Hines (1913-1993) was born and raised in Indianapolis. He attended the Art Institute of Chicago before moving to New York to study with the Russian modernist Nahum Tschacbasov. He later studied design at the Pratt Institute and New York University. In addition to his artistic oeuvre, Felrath Hines was known for his conservation work and opened his private practice in 1964. In 1972 he left New York for Washington, D.C. to become Chief Conservator of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery and later the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden until his eventual retirement in 1984. From that time to his death in 1993, he produced more paintings than the rest of his career combined.
Felrath Hines
(Nov. 5, 1913-Oct. 3, 1993). In addition to being a dedicated artist throughout his life, Felrath Hines was the first African American chief conservator for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery and private paintings restorer for artist Georgia O’Keeffe.
Born in Indianapolis, Hines graduated from Crispus Attucks High School in 1931. His early interest in art won him a scholarship to Saturday classes at the John Herron Art Institute. With hopes to attend the Art Institute of Chicago, he moved to Chicago in 1937, after serving two stints in the New Deal Black Civilian Conservation Corps near Bloomington. He worked as a dining car waiter on the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad and arranged his schedule to attend day classes at the Art Institute.
Hines relocated to New York City in 1946. He pursued his art training at Pratt Institute and with Russian expressionist Nahum Chacbasov while working at the respected Kulicke Frame Shop. He apprenticed himself to pioneer artwork conservators Sheldon and Caroline Keck, whom he met through Georgia O’Keeffe, becoming her personal paintings restorer.
Along with his dual careers, Hines participated in civil rights activism in the early 1960s, including the 1963 March on Washington. He was a founding member of Spiral, a group concerned with gaining more recognition for Black artists.
Hines moved to Washington, D.C., to become chief conservator at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, from 1972 to 1980, then accepted the position of chief conservator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. He served in this position at the Hirshhorn from 1980 until his retirement in 1984. While becoming a highly respected fine art conservator, he created increasingly complex geometric abstract paintings that are recognized for their refined technique and beauty.
Hines’ paintings are included in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Cult Felrath Hines was born in Indiana in 1913. At the encouragement of this mother, he began studying art at an early age, taking Saturday art classes through a scholarship from the John Herron School of Art. After high school, Hines worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps, and later the railroad. It wasn’t until 1945 that he began his formal art training, enrolling in the Art Institute of Chicago and studying design. He then relocated to New York to work as a fashion designer. While in New York, he was invited by fellow artist Romare Bearden to join Spiral, a group of African American artists working in response to the civil rights movement. Throughout his career, Hines resisted the idea of a distinct “black art” defined by style or subject matter and sought a more universal imagery through abstraction. Hines was also well known for his conservation, and he opened his own private practice in 1964. His many clients included the Modern Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Whitney Museum. He was the first African American to work as a conservator for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Hines was also great friends with the artist Georgia O’Keeffe, and she entrusted him with the conservation of a number of her paintings. His own work can be found in a number of collections, most notably the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. American painter Felrath Hines (born as Samuel Felrath Hines Jr.; November 9, 1913 – October 3, 1993) was an African American visual artist and art conservator. Hines served as a conservator at several institutions, including the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. He was a member of Spiral collective and a contemporary of Romare Bearden. Hines' paintings can be found in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1913, Hines began studying art in 1926 after receiving a scholarship for youth classes at the John Herron School of Art Saturday School. After graduating Crispus Attucks High School in 1931, Hines worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps as a firefighter and subscribed to correspondence courses in art. In 1940, he was employed as a railroad dining car waiter for the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, saving money for art classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1946, Hines moved to New York City. From 1947 to 1948, he took private classes with Nahum Tschacbasov, a Russian-born American painter. He also worked as a fashion designer and took classes at New York University and the Pratt Institute. Hines' paintings have been associated with the De Stijl movement often containing strong design elements, inspired by Cubism and the simplicity of Piet Mondrian. His work moved from semi-abstract landscapes in the 1940s and 1950s to geometric abstracts, and is recognized in the Black Abstractionism canon. As Hines became more influenced by American modernists, such as Stuart Davis, Ad Reinhardt, Josef Albers, Ellsworth Kelly, and Barnett Newman, he began to eliminate line from his compositions, focusing instead on simple shapes and a restrained color palette.& Felrath Hines
1913-1993
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Felrath Hines
Early life and education
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