GAINE91968-crop

Charles Gaines

Biography

Born

Charleston SC, 1944

Education

MFA, Rochester Institute of Technology, School of Art and Design, Rochester NY, 1967

BA, Jersey City State College, Jersey City NJ, 1966

Solo Exhibitions

2025

Hauser & Wirth, 'Charles Gaines. Numbers and Trees, The Tanzania Baobabs', West Hollywood CA

2024

Phoenix Art Museum, 'Charles Gaines. Numbers and Trees (Arizona Series)', Phoenix AZ 

Phoenix Art Museum, 'Charles Gaines: 1992–2023', Phoenix AZ (Travelling exhibition) 

Fresno Art Museum, 'Charles Gaines. The Fresno Years', Fresno CA 

Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, 'Charles Gaines: 1992–2023', Miami FL (Travelling exhibition) 

Group Exhibitions

2024

MAB FAAP - Museu de Arte Brasileira, 'Ancestral: Afro-Americas', São Paulo, Brazil

The Museum of Modern Art, 'Vital Signs: Artists and the Body', New York NY
Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, 'Experimentation: The Art of Controlled Procedures', Los Angeles CA 

CAAM California African American Museum, 'World Without End: The George Washington Carver Project', Los Angeles CA 

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 'The Living End: Painting and Other Technologies, 1970–2020', Chicago IL 

San Jose Museum of Art / University of California, Santa Cruz, 'Seeing Through Stone', San Jose CA / Santa Cruz CA 

Hauser & Wirth, 'RETROaction', cur. Kate Fowle, Homi K. Bhabha, Charles Gaines, Ellen Tani, Los Angeles CA (Traveling exhibition) 

Miguel Abreu Gallery, 'When Image Processing Became Painting', New York NY 

2023

Historic Hampton House, 'Gimme Shelter', Miami FL 

Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 'imaginary i', Madison WI 

Hauser & Wirth, 'RETROaction', cur. Kate Fowle, Homi K. Bhabha, Charles Gaines, Ellen Tani, New York NY(Traveling exhibition) 

Philbrook Museum, 'Coded Imagery,' Tulsa OK 

Marlborough, 'Schema: World as Diagram', New York NY 

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, 'Earth & Sky', Scottsdale AZ 

Berggruen Gallery, 'Serial Imagery. Portfolios and Prints in Sets', San Francisco CA 

MCA Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 'Endless', cur. Nolan Jimbo, Chicago IL 

Metropolitan Museum of Manila, 'Sounds of Blackness', cur. Larry Ossei-Mensah, Manila, Philippines 

LACMA Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 'Coded: Art Enters the Computer Age, 1952 – 1982', Los Angeles CA 

University of Texas at Austin, 'Old Wounds, Dark Dreams', Austin TX 

Awards & Grants

2022

Member, American Academy of Arts & Letters, New York NY

2020

National Academian, National Academy of Design, New York NY

Performances

2024

Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, 'Manifestos 3', Miami FL 

Museum of Modern Art, 'Manifestos 6: Ben Patterson', New York NY 

REDCAT, 'Manifestos 4: The Dred and Harriet Scott Decision', Los Angeles CA 

2022

Creative Time, 'Manifestos 4: The Dred and Harriet Scott Decision', Times Square, New York NY

Public & Special Projects

2023

Creative Time, 'The American Manifest', Cincinnati OH

2022

Creative Time, 'Moving Chains', Governors Island, New York NY

Creative Time, ‘Roots', Times Square, New York NY

Curatorial Projects

2024

Hauser & Wirth, 'RETROaction', cur. Kate Fowle, Homi K. Bhabha, Charles Gaines, Ellen Tani, Los Angeles CA (Traveling exhibition) 

2023

Hauser & Wirth, 'RETROaction', cur. Kate Fowle, Homi K. Bhabha, Charles Gaines, Ellen Tani, New York NY (Traveling exhibition) 

Bibliography

Monographs

2019

Platzker, David, Smith, Cherise, ‘Charles Gaines. Palm Trees and Other Works’, Zurich: Hauser & Wirth Publishers, 2019, ill. (exh. cat.)

2014

Keith, Naima J. (ed.), 'Charles Gaines. Gridwork 1974-1989’, New York: The Studio Museum in Harlem, 2014, ill. (exh. cat)

Artist’s Books & Writings

2024

Anastas, Rhea, Berger, Maurice, Gaines, Charles, Lord, Catherine, Moten, Fred (et al.), 'The Theater of Refusal: Black Art and Mainstream Criticism', New York: Dancing Foxes Press, 2024, ill.  

 

2023

Gaines, Charles, 'Documenting the Black Imagination. Charles Gaines on Lauren Halsey', in: Godfrey, Mark, Siegel, Katy (eds.), 'Making Their Mark. Art by Women in the Shah Garg Collection', New York: Gregory R. Miller & Co., 2023, pp. 110-112, ill. 

Publications

2024

Almeida, Ana Beatriz, Haynes, Lauren, 'Ancestral. Afro-Américas', Sao Paulo: Afluente Art Editora, 2024, pp. 104-105, ill. (exh. cat.)­

2023

Byrd, Antawan I., Segal, Elizabeth, Fuldner, Carl (eds.), ‘The Art Institute of Chicago Field Guide to Photography and Media', Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2023, p. 361, ill. 

Rubinstein, Raphael, Rubinstein, Heather Bause, 'Schema: World as Diagram', New York: Marlborough, 2023, pp. 62-64, ill. (exh. cat.) 

Kim, Christine Y., Andrews, Myrtle Elizabeth (eds.), 'Black American Portraits', Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, New York: DelMonico Books, 2023, p. 129, ill. (exh. cat.) 

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (eds.), 'Coded: Art Enters the Computer Age, 1952–1982', Los Angeles, 2023, pp. 174-175, ill. (exh. cat.)

Press

2025

Hanley, William, 'A Renowned Artist's L.A. Renovation Added a Distinct Facade - and Kicked Off A Much Bigger Project', on: dwell.com, 8 May 2025, ill.

Pingel, Mike, 'Numbers and Trees’ Series by Charles Gaines Now Showing at Hauser & Wirth West Hollywood', on: wehotimes.com, 18 April 2025, ill.

Urist, Jacoba, 'Charles Gaines on the conception and creative method of 'Numbers and Trees, Baobabs in Tanzania'' [interview], on: artforum.com, 11 April 2025, ill.

Teicholz, Tom, 'Charles Gaines' Calculus of Trees', on: forbes.com, 8 April 2025, ill.

Urist, Jacoba, 'Charles Gaines', on: artforum.com, 4 April 2025, ill.

Zellen, Jody, 'Charles Gaines: 'Numbers and Trees, The Tanzania Baobabs', on: artnowla.com, 26 March 2025, ill.

Brand, Madeleine (host), 'Democrats’ direction, 'Severance' finale, art by Charles Gaines and others' [audio podcast], in: Press Play, KCRW, 25 March 2025

Barnes, Sarah, 'Artist Brings Order to the Organic by Turning a Grid of Numbers and Colors Into Massive Tree Photos', on: mymodernmet.com, 24 March 2025, ill.

___, 'Charles Gaines in conversation with Lauren O’Neill-Butler' [interview], on: novembermag.com, 18 March 2025

Teicholz, Tom, 'Highlights From Frieze Los Angeles In The Wake Of The L.A. Fires', on: forbes.com, 14 March 2025, ill.

Courteau, Rose, 'Build It and They Will Come', in: Family Style, New York, pp. 152-159, ill.
Armond, Jason, 'The artist Charles Gaines, his beauty and poignance' [interview], on: latimes.com, 5 March 2025, ill.

Mankus, Modestas, 'Charles Gaines to Present at Hauser & Wirth West Hollywood', on: ourculturemag.com, 28 January 2025, ill. 

Young, Royal, 'Phoenix Art Museum’s Gaines exhibit hypnotizes viewers into thought', on: phoenixnewtimes.com, 30 January 2025, ill.

2024

Bickley, Sebastian, 'Charles Gaines Unveils New ‘Numbers and Trees’ Series at Hauser & Wirth', on: ourculturemag.com, 19 December 2024, ill.
The Editors of ARTnews, 'ARTnews Announces ARTnews Awards', on: artnews.com, 19 November 2024
Helbling, Emma, 'ArtWorks’ New Gathering Space to be Named the Hannan ArtPark', on: citybeat.com, 28 August 2024, ill. 

Griffin, Jonathan, 'Intuit Dome: Where Art Competes With Hot Dogs, Beer, and Busy Fans', on: nytimes.com, 22 August 2024, ill. 

Parish, Heather, 'From Wendy Maruyama To Charles Gaines, The Fresno Art Museum Has A Lot To Celebrate In Its Summer/fall Exhibitions', on: munroreview.com, 2 August 2024, ill. 

Pogrebin, Robin, 'The New Home of the L.A. Clippers is Is a Hot Ticket for Art', on: nytimes.com, 10 July 2024, ill. 

Hanson, Geoff, 'The past, present and future of art, examined', on: aspendailynews.com, 11 June 2024, ill. 

Hatfield, Zack, 'The Permanent Collection: Charles Gaines Ponders the Weight of History', on: news.artnet.com, 15 May 2024, ill. 

Enrico, 'RETROaction (part two) / Hauser & Wirth, Downtown Los Angeles', on: vernissage.tv, 12 April 2024, ill. 

Valentine, Victoria L., 'Lauren Haynes Named Head Curator of Governors Island in New York, She is Expected to Grow the Public Art Program', on: culturetype.com, 27 March 2024, ill. 

Tani, Ellen, 'Charles Gaines by Ellen Tani', on: bombmagazine.org, 15 March 2024, ill. 

Netzley, Luke, 'Where the Past Meets the Present: Hauser & Wirth Opens "RETROaction" exhibition', on: ladowntownnews.com, 4 March 2024, ill. 

Tani, Ellen, 'Charles Gaines', in: Bomb, New York, no. 167, Spring 2024, pp. 42-55, ill. 

Kay, Sasha, 'What’s Happening in Miami: FT Globetrotter’s month-by-month guide to 2024', on: ft.com, 8 February 2024, ill. 

Durón, Maximilíano, 'Charles Gaines Asks Heady Questions with No Easy Answers', on: artnews.com, 5 February 2024, ill. 

Goyanes, Rob, 'Charles Gaines: 1992–2023 at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Miami, Miami', on: burnaway.org, 27 January 2024, ill. 

___, 'Three-decade survey of Charles Gaines at Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami', on: artdaily.cc, 4 January 2024, ill. 

Enrico, 'Charles Gaines: 1992–2023 / Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami', on: vernissage.tv, 1 January 2024, ill. 

Audiovisuals

2023

WNYC News, 'Weekend Arts Planner: "Southern Trees" in Chelsea and two Saturday night jazz highlights', 4 February 2023

2022

New York Living, [News Coverage of Charles Gaines’ 'The American Manifest' and Creative Time], 23 August 2022

Pix11, [News Coverage of Charles Gaines’ 'The American Manifest'], 23 August 2022

Frieze, 'Art Live: Frieze New York 2022' [Charles Gaines is interviewed at his solo booth at Frieze New York 2022], 22 May 2022