Charles Hinman, pioneer of three-dimensional painting, dies at 93

Charles Hinman, a key figure in post-war American art, died on May 29 in Raleigh, North Carolina, at age 93. The artist passed away in a care facility from complications after a fall. Since the early 1960s, Hinman challenged conventions by creating three-dimensional canvases that blurred the line between painting and sculpture. He built complex wooden structures over which he stretched colored fabric, describing the result as "skin over bones." His work was often associated with Minimalism but retained a playful, exuberant quality. International recognition came in 1964 with his first solo exhibition at Richard Feigen Gallery in New York, where the work "Poltergeist" was later acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in 1965. Born in Syracuse in 1932, Hinman briefly played minor league baseball for the Milwaukee Braves before studying at Syracuse University and the Art Students League of New York. He lived in the Coenties Slip artist community. His later series "Gems" (2010s) was inspired by faceted diamonds.