Francis Mattson Hines is renowned for his wrapped artworks, sculptures, and public art projects, notably including the iconic wrapping of the Washington Square Arch in 1980. Despite receiving critical acclaim during his lifetime, Hines gradually faded into obscurity towards the end of his life. Fortunately, most of his works were saved from imminent disposal a year after his passing. This exhibition aims to resurrect Hines' art and career, highlighting his pioneering role among expressionists exploring wrapping techniques and showcasing his distinct vision of infusing his creations with tension and kineticism.
The piece titled "Untitled" was a result of a multi-step process. Hines first painted a large Arches paper using hardpoint pastels and mounted it on luan, a type of tropical hardwood plywood. After completing the pastel work, he strategically planned the incorporation of bands of synthetic fabric, specifically nylon. He carefully cut through the painting at selected anchor points, threading the fabric through each slit and tying it into knots. The other end of the fabric was then threaded through the next slit, tightly stretched, and secured with another knot. While the final artwork may appear to stem from abstract expressionism, one can discern Hines' fascination with cars, drawing inspiration from the numerous abandoned vehicles near his Manhattan studio on West Street.
Francis Hines gained widespread recognition for wrapping the Washington Square Arch with 8,000 yards of white polyester fabric in 1980. New York University invited Hines to undertake this project as part of a campaign to raise funds for the restoration of the monument, plagued by decades of graffiti damage. Described as a "giant bandage for a wounded monument," the wrapping was a remarkable feat involving a team of 23 people meticulously stretching and crisscrossing each fabric piece into a geometric pattern. In 2017, on the 50th anniversary of New York City's "Art in the Parks" program, Hines' Arch wrapping was recognized as one of the top ten public art installations in NYC. As the sole artist to have wrapped buildings in Manhattan (including two abandoned tenement buildings in the East Village during the late 1970s), it's unsurprising that he is best remembered for these grand-scale endeavors. However, Hines' profound engagement with wrapping is most evident in his paintings. As he himself stated, "My building wraps are larger forms of what I do in the studio."
Hines' artistic practice draws comparisons to other artists interested in the aesthetics of wrapping. Early artists like Man Ray wrapped objects, infusing them with mystery and intrigue through obscuration. The trajectory culminated with Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who famously wrapped various objects and prominent buildings worldwide. While these artists approached wrapping conceptually, Hines' focus was primarily aesthetic. Interviews with Hines reveal his concentration on the tension created by wrapping and the kinetic energy introduced to sculpture and painting through precisely positioned, taut, diaphanous fabric swathes. He expressed a keen interest in the immense energy that emerges when forms are bound under tension.
Born in Washington, DC in 1920, Francis Hines attended the Cleveland School of Art before serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. After the war, he settled in New York City, working as a commercial illustrator while pursuing painting as a personal endeavor. In the 1950s, he became the chief commercial artist at G. Fox & Co. In the 1960s, Hines' personal artistic endeavors began gaining attention, leading to his first solo exhibition at Smolin Gallery in 1965. He later moved to Watertown, Connecticut, converting a barn into a large studio where he continued his artistic projects until his passing. Despite exhibiting his wrapped sculptures at the Stewart Neill Gallery in SoHo during the 1970s and being represented by the Vorpal Gallery in SoHo from 1984 until its closure in 1997, Hines' work gradually disappeared from public view after the turn of the century, though he remained active in his Connecticut studio.
Following Hines' death in 2016, his house and studio were cleared, and their contents were placed into dumpsters. A car mechanic named Jared Whipple, alerted by a friend, discovered the remaining works and was intrigued by them. He salvaged what was not yet destroyed and embarked on a mission to uncover the artist's story. In 2018, having learned about Hines as much as possible, Whipple contacted Peter Falk, an art historian specialized in rediscovering forgotten American artists. Falk collaborated with Hollis Taggart and his team to organize the exhibit "Unwrapping the Mystery of New York's Wrapper," of which this work is a part.