Felrath Hines

Felrath Hines was an influential African American artist, educator, and art conservator whose work contributed significantly to twentieth-century abstraction. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Hines began studying art as a teenager and later pursued training in Chicago and New York, where he became immersed in the city’s modernist art scene. Influenced by movements such as De Stijl and Cubism, his paintings evolved from semi-abstract landscapes into refined geometric abstractions marked by balance, subtle color harmonies, and carefully structured forms.

Hines was also a member of Spiral, the influential group founded by Romare Bearden in 1963 to explore the role of Black artists in contemporary society. Alongside his artistic practice, Hines built a distinguished career in art conservation, working for institutions including the Smithsonian Institution and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. He helped preserve works by major artists such as Claude Monet and Georgia O'Keeffe. Today, Hines is recognized both for his sophisticated abstract paintings and for his important contributions to museum conservation and African American modernism.