Cham Hendon (1936 - 2014)

Robert Chambless "Cham" Hendon (September 14, 1936 – January 11, 2014) was an American painter whose unusual style of painting and lush, colorful canvases earned him recognition in the New York City art scene of the 1970s and 80s.

Represented by the Phyllis Kind Gallery in Soho, New York City, Hendon's work became part of the collections of several major New York City museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art,[1] The Museum of the City of New York,[2] and The New Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as museums outside New York City and major private collections. His work was included in the seminal "Bad Painting" show at the New Museum (January, 1978), as the museum, under the direction of Marcia Tucker, was encouraging people to think about art and museums in a new way.

Cham, as he was known since his childhood, was a quiet, well-educated man with a good sense of humor and the manners instilled by a Southern up-bringing. He had a great knowledge of the history of art and he was always interested in the work of his contemporaries. When asked once if he was "driven" to make paintings, he replied that he didn't think he was driven, he just wasn't happy doing anything else.

Hendon moved to Connecticut in 2007 where he continued painting until the end of his life. He was very active in the New Haven art community and he attended the opening of his last one-man show at Fred Giampietro Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut two months before his death.