PAINTER DAN CHRISTENSEN (1942–2007)

Dan Christensen, an abstract painter best known for his unfettered use of color in various styles, including Color Field painting and lyrical abstraction, died January 20 in East Hampton, New York, at the age of sixty-four, reports the New York Times‘ Roja Heydarpour. The cause was heart failure due to polymyositis, a muscle disease, said his wife, Elaine Grove. In 1967, Christensen, finding the realism of his classical training restrictive, began using spray guns to paint colorful stacked loops on canvas, a technique that won him critical acclaim. Christensen painted until his death. His works are featured in museums including MoMA, the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. An exhibition of twenty-three of his paintings is on view through February 17 at the Spanierman Modern gallery in Manhattan.