The only artist of the New York school to participate directly in European modernism, Hans Hofmann became known as the major exponent of Abstract Expressionism.
Hans Hofmann paintings are known for their manic, exuberant energy. Among 20th-century masters, he was the first to consolidate and codify the lessons of modernism into a teaching system. Hofmann was also a widely influential art instructor with schools in New York City and Provincetown, Massachusetts. He was described by New York Times critic Clement Greenberg as "the most important teacher of our time" (Peter Falk, Who Was Who in American Art). Approximately six-thousand students studied modernist art with him, among the well-known names are Helen Frankenthaler, Jane Freilicher, Wolf Kahn, Larry Rivers and Nell Blaine.
Hofmann was born in Weissenberg, Germany, showed a precocious interest in music and science, and had early training in mechanics while working for the Director of Public Works of Bavaria between 1896 and 1898. On that job, he invented the electromagnetic comptometer, the precursor of the adding machine.
Hofmann began to study art in 1898 in Munich where he was introduced to Impressionism. From 1904 to 1914, he studied in Paris and was exposed to many of the avant-garde artists and movements of that time including Fauvism, Cubism, and Surrealism. He was much taken with the exploration of pure color for its own sake, especially as investigated by Picasso, Braque, Matisse, and Delaunay. In Munich at the outbreak of World War I, he founded an art school and was highly successful until 1932 when he emigrated to America, having spent the summers in 1930 and 1931 teaching at the University of California at Berkeley. In 1932, he began teaching at the Arts Students League in New York and the following year opened his own schools in New York and Provincetown, Massachusetts.
During the 1930s and 1940s, American Scene painting was prevalent, but Hofmann resisted that style, staying with the modernism to which he had been exposed in Europe. Hence he was later credited as a courageous pioneer in America of European modern art. He closed both of his schools in 1958 so he could devote himself full time to his own painting. He died in New York City in 1966.
Hofmann said he always based his paintings on the subject of nature, and he used vivid colors such as bright blues, greens oranges and yellows and applied them with palette knives in long slashing strokes. He viewed the surface of the canvas as alive, responsive, and active, often with opposing forces which he created with his theory of "push and pull," and which is closely tied to theories of Paul Cezanne. He also experimented with dripping paint onto the canvas, a method Jackson Pollock learned and later made famous.
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(Biography provided by Fine Art San Diego)
Hans Hofmann - Composition in Blue, Abstract Expressionist signed, Framed
By Hans Hofmann
Located in New York, NY
Hand signed and numbered 69/120 on the front in ink (unique variant) Dazzling mid century modern (1952) mixed media silkscreen and gouache by Hans Hofmann - one of the most influenti...
Ink, Gouache, Screen
$715,000
Baal
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"Baal (M-1128)" is an abstract Post War oil on canvas painting by Hans Hofmann in 1947. The artwork is 59 3/8 x 47 1/4 inches and with the frame is 68 x 56 x 3 1/8 inches, weighing l...
Canvas, Oil
Landscape No. 108
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"Landscape No. 108" is an abstract Post War oil on panel painting by Hans Hofmann in 1941. The artwork is 23 1/4 x 29 1/4 inches and with the frame is 31 1/8 x 37 1/8 x 2 5/8 inches,...
Oil, Panel
$1,000
Hans Hofmann at Andre Emmerich, scarce early 1970s Abstract Expressionist poster
By Hans Hofmann
Located in New York, NY
Hans Hofmann Hans Hofmann at Andre Emmerich Gallery Poster, 1973 Offset lithograph poster Plate signed on the bottom right front Frame Included (held in original vintage metal frame)...
Lithograph, Offset
70s XL Original Hans Hofmann Exhibition Lithograph Poster Emmerich Gallery NYC
By Hans Hofmann
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
Very Rare, Sensational, Oversized, and Vibrant. This Original 1974 Hans Hofmann Exhibition Lithograph Poster was created for his retrospective at the world renowned Andre Emmeric...
Paper
Vtg Signed Hans Hofmann Exhibition Lithograph Poster Ltd Ed 250 Emmerich Gallery
By Hans Hofmann
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
Vintage Original Hans Hofmann "Exabundantia, 1964” Signed Emmerich Gallery, New York. Exhibition Lithograph Poster. 1980 Framed. Limited Edition of 250. This Centennial Exhibiti...
Metal
$3,365
1967 original exhibition poster for Hans Hofmann's at the André Emmerich Gallery
By Hans Hofmann
Located in PARIS, FR
The 1967 original exhibition poster for Hans Hofmann's at the André Emmerich Gallery in New York is a vibrant and captivating visual representation of the renowned artist's abstract ...
Paper, Lithograph
$20,000
Untitled
By Hans Hofmann
Located in New York, NY
Color crayons and ink on white wove paper. Initialed and dated "VI . 24 . 43" in ink, lower right recto, and annotated and dated in ink, verso. This work is registered in the record...
Crayon, Ink
$380,000
The Zoo
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"The Zoo" is an abstract Post War oil on panel painting by Hans Hofmann in 1944. The artwork is 21 3/8 x 24 1/2 inches and, with the frame, is 22 1/4 x 25 1/2 x 2 inches. "The Zoo...
Oil, Panel
original lithograph
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1950 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on the occasion of the 19...
Lithograph
Works On Paper - Poster - Hans Hofmann
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Winterswijk, NL
Monogrammed in print In great condition On light cardboard
Color, Lithograph
Works On Paper - Poster - Hans Hofmann -
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Winterswijk, NL
Monogrammed in print In great condition On light cardboard
Color, Lithograph
Works On Paper - Poster - Hans Hofmann -
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Winterswijk, NL
Monogrammed in print In great condition On light cardboard
Color, Lithograph
HANS HOFMANN Provincetown Drawing - Pen & Ink - 1942 - Massachusetts
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Title: "Provincetown Drawing" Medium: pen and ink on paper Dimensions: 14 x 16 3/4 inches Signed: Initialed and dated 1942 Provenance: Manny Silverman Gallery...
Paper, Ink, Pen
$200,000
The Indian
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"The Indian" is an abrtsact Post War mixed media on paper work by Han Hofmann in 1944. The artwork is 22 x 15 inches and, with the frame, is 29 1/4 x 22 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches, weighing ...
Paper, Mixed Media
Untitled Expressionist Drawing, Pencil on Paper, 20th Century, Framed
By Hans Hofmann
Located in New York, NY
Description Hans Hofmann Untitled On the reverse a pencil sketch Pencil on paper 14 x 16 7/8 in. Provenance Herbert Matter, New York / Lillian Heidenberg Gallery, New York / Bunny...
Paper, Pencil
Works On Paper - Poster - Hans Hofmann
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Winterswijk, NL
Monogrammed in print In great condition On light cardboard
Color, Lithograph
Untitled Expressionist Drawing, Pencil on Paper, 20th Century, Framed
By Hans Hofmann
Located in New York, NY
Description Hans Hofmann Untitled Pencil on paper 16 7/8 x 14 in. Provenance Herbert Matter, New York / Lillian Heidenberg Gallery, New York / Bunny Williams, New York / William E...
Paper, Pencil
$3,500
H 20 in W 14.25 in D 1 in
Rare Signed Alvin Loving Poster Exhibition at William Zierler Gallery
Located in New York, NY
Framed, signed poster by Alvin Loving (1935-2005). Below is an excerpt from an online source. Detroit-born Loving earned an MFA from the University of Michigan in 1965. He began hard edge painting of cubes and hexagons in 1967. After his first one-person exhibition at Gertrude Kasle gallery in Detroit in 1969, Loving launched his New York career. Gertrude Kasle provided Loving with letters of introduction to Harold Hart of Martha Jackson Gallery and Steven Wilde and Bert Walker, curators at the Whitney Museum of American Art, where he was given a critically acclaimed, one-person exhibition in 1969. Loving was the first of a group of African-American artists whose work was shown at the Whitney during the 1970s, including Frank Bowling, Frederick Eversley, Melvin Edwards...
Chrome
$1,200
H 36.25 in W 24.25 in D 0.75 in
Framed Calder Galerie Maeght Lithograph Poster Maeght Editeur - Arte Paris 70s
By Calder, Galerie Maeght
Located in New York, NY
Bold, colorful and graphic Galerie Maeghgt Calder Poster by Maeght Editeur - Arte Paris. The poster is in it's original vintage frame with a blue mat border, aluminum frame and gla...
Paper
$220Sale Price|25% Off
H 25.5 in W 18 in D 0.07 in
Original Midcentury Abstract Art Exhibition Poster, Signed Rosso Dated 1975
Located in Miami, FL
Original midcentury abstract art exhibition poster with wonderful vivid colors of blue, red, green, beige, etc... Very decorative, signed by t...
Paper
$440Sale Price|20% Off
H 22.25 in W 16.63 in D 0.07 in
Original Italian Art Exhibition Poster - Ferruccio Garopesani
Located in Miami, FL
Original Italian art exhibition poster by painter and designer Ferruccio Garopesani. Presented in 1975 at the Galleria International d'Arte - Diorena - Ascona, Italy. A native of ...
Paper
$4,500
H 40 in W 33 in D 0.75 in
Heavily Textured Abstract Expressionist Composition in Oil on Canvas
By Harald Dry Schmidt
Located in Soquel, CA
Heavily Textured Abstract Expressionist Composition in Oil on Canvas Bold, textured, abstract composition by California artist Harald "Harry" Dry Schmidt (American, 1933-1979). Brig...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$1,036Sale Price|20% Off
H 49 in W 32 in
Frankenthaler, Mary Mary 1991, New York City, Lincoln Center
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: After Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) Title: Mary Mary (Lincoln Center Honorary) Year: 1991 Medium: Offset lithograph poster on extra thick Somerset paper Edition: 2000 Size...
Lithograph, Offset
WORKING ON IT INCESSANTLY
By Mary Corita (Sister Corita) Kent
Located in Santa Monica, CA
CORITA KENT (Sister Mary Corita) 1918–1986 WORKING ON IT INCESSANTLY, ca. 1970 Color serigraph. Signed and numbered in ink 200/. In generally good condition. Image 22 3/8 x 11 1/2, sheet 23 x 12 1/4 inches. Provenance: Marjorie Kauffman Graphics on original period label. Sister Corita is highly important in the development of modern use of serigraphy with highly charged social and political content expressed in strong colors and dynamic composition. She often made biblical and well as literary references as a major part of the composition. She taught printmaking at Immaculate Heart...
Screen
$325
H 17.75 in W 15 in D 0.02 in
Sister Mary Corita Exhibition Poster/Announcement, Morris Gallery 1966
By Sister Corita
Located in New York, NY
Exhibition poster and announcement for a show of Sister Mary Corita Kent's new serigraphs held at New York City's Morris Gallery from December 7-31, 1966, ...
Paper
$513
H 47.25 in W 31.5 in D 0.04 in
Hand-Painted Large Artist Proof-Summer Night-British Awarded Artist-One Off
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This stunning Artist's Proof is an one-off, oil hand-painted, signed at front and on the back label too; each proof is 80% hand painted by Shizico Yi, because the nature of hand mixe...
Gesso, Archival Ink, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Giclée
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
H 48 in W 32 in D 1 in
Mid Century Abstract Expressionist Painting, Oil on Masonite, 1960s
By Leslie Luverne Anderson
Located in Soquel, CA
Colorful abstract expressionist piece by Les (Leslie Luverne) Anderson (American, 1928-2009) that lends itself to either vertical or horizontal orientat...
Masonite, Oil
$570
H 39.38 in W 27.56 in D 0.04 in
After Turner-One Off, Proof No 1-British Awarded Artist-Seascape-river Thames
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This is a large Artist's Proof with original oil and gesso paint highlighting; it is the No 1 of the only 3 Proofs; the colours of the painting and Shizico's expressive brushstrokes ...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Giclée, Gesso, Oil, Acrylic
$400 / item
H 29 in W 29 in D 1.5 in
Ernest Trova Pace Gallery New York 1967 Modern Lithographic Exhibition Poster
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
A modern lithographic poster featuring Ernest Trova at Pace Gallery New York in 1967. Published by Pace Editions. Ernest Tino Trova was a self-trained Am...
Paper
Untitled
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) was a pre-eminent figure of postwar American art and one of the most important artists (and instructors) of the 20th century. Born in Germany, Hofmann immigr...
Gouache
Sold
H 10.5 in W 8 in
"Untilted composition" Hans Hofmann, Abstract Expressionist, Vibrant, Gestural
By Hans Hofmann
Located in New York, NY
Hans Hofmann Untilted composition, 1956 Signed and dated lower right Watercolor on paper 10 1/2 x 8 inches Provenance Kootz Gallery, New York Collection of Samuel Kootz New York Est...
Paper, Watercolor
Sold
H 27 in W 36 in
"Untitled" Hans Hofmann, circa 1943 Navy Blue Olive Green Early Abstract Work
By Hans Hofmann
Located in New York, NY
Hans Hofmann Untitled, circa 1943 Signed lower right Oil and watercolor on paper 22 1/4 x 30 3/4 inches The only artist of the New York school to participate directly in European m...
Paper, Oil, Watercolor
Sold
H 16 in W 13.75 in
"Untitled Nude Drawing" Hans Hofmann, Abstracted Nude Sketch Composition
By Hans Hofmann
Located in New York, NY
Hans Hofmann Untitled Nude Drawing Ink on paper 11 x 8 1/2 inches The only artist of the New York school to participate directly in European modernism, Hans Hofmann became known as...
Paper, Ink
Untitled
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) was a pre-eminent figure of postwar American art and one of the most important artists (and instructors) of the 20th century. Born in Germany, Hofmann immigr...
Paper, Crayon
original lithograph
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1951 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on the occasion of the 19...
Lithograph
Abyss
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Greenville, DE
ATTRIBUTED to Hans Hofmann. Initialed "HH" lower right. Oil on Masonite, Ca 1959. Forty - Seventh Street Gallery, 25 W. 47th St. New York label on reverse.
Masonite, Oil
Yellow Vase
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A painting by Hans Hofmann. "Yellow Vase" is still-life abstract painting, oil on panel executed in the primary colors by Post-War Abstract Expressionist H...
Oil, Panel
Composition in Blue
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original signed screenprint with extensive hand-painted gouache additions on wove paper by German-American artist Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) titled "Composition in Blue...
Gouache, Screen
Sold
H 32 in W 26 in
Original Oil on Paper Titled Upward Abstract Signed Hans Hofmann 1946
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
For your consideration is an original, framed, oil on paper painting, entitled "Upward," signed by Hans Hofmann, 1946. This piece done in typical Hofman abstract expressionist urban ...
Oil
Hans Hofmann Untitled
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Provenance: Ameringer and Yohe Gallery Private Collection, CA
Paper, Oil, Gouache
Landscape
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Winterswijk, NL
Color offset lithograph "Landscape" by Hans Hofmann, monogrammed in print.
Offset