About Charles Hinman
American · 1932–present · Minimalism
American[2] pioneer of the shaped canvas (b. 1932[2]) whose geometric three-dimensional paintings entered MoMA, the Whitney, and the National Gallery of Art.
Read full biography →Charles Hinman's works are held in 6 museums worldwide, including National Gallery of Art, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
🇺🇸 United States
6 museums
- 7 works
National Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C., United States
Mon–Sat 10:00–17:00, Sun 11:00–18:00FreeArchives – Navy Memorial (Green & Yellow)Confirm on museum website before visiting. - 1 works
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Kansas City, United States
- 1 works
Buffalo AKG Art Museum
Buffalo, United States
- 1 works
Detroit Institute of Arts
Midtown Detroit, United States
- 1 works
Princeton Art Museum
Princeton, United States
- 1 works
Museum of Modern Art
Midtown Manhattan, United States
Daily 10:30–17:30 (Sat until 19:00; first Fri of month until 20:00)Adults $30, students $17Fifth Av / 53 St (E, M)Confirm on museum website before visiting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Charles Hinman?
Charles Hinman is one of the inventors of the shaped canvas, treating the canvas as a three-dimensional object. Before becoming an artist, he played professional baseball for the Milwaukee Braves organisation. He was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1932[2].What is Charles Hinman known for?
Charles Hinman is known for his shaped canvases, which treat the canvas as a three-dimensional object. His paintings from the 1960s folded, bowed, and extended the canvas into forms that sat ambiguously between painting and sculpture. Critics placed him alongside Frank Stella, Lucio Fontana, and Kenneth Noland as a founder of the shaped canvas movement.What was Charles Hinman's art style?
Hinman's art style involves treating the canvas as a three-dimensional object. His shaped canvases feature stretcher bars bent into lozenges, parallelograms, and compound curves, with the painted surface pulled taut across geometries that refuse to lie flat.
Sources
Where to See guide aggregates verified holdings of Charles Hinman's works across the following collections.
- [1] museum Smithsonian American Art Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] wikipedia Wikipedia: Charles Hinman Used for: biography.
- [3] book guggenheim-emergingartists100wald Used for: biography.
- [4] book guggenheim-newhorizonsiname00denn Used for: biography.
- [5] book Landauer, Susan, The not-so-still life : a century of California painting and sculpture Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-30. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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