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Hans Hofmann Abstract Paintings

German, 1897-1957

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)

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Artist: Hans Hofmann
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,...
Category

20th Century Post-War Hans Hofmann Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Song of Love
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"Song of Love" is an abstract Post-War oil painting on canvas created by Hans Hofmann in 1952. The artwork is 36.25 x 48.25 inches and is 45.25 x 57.25 x 2 inches with the frame, weighing less than 50 lbs. It is signed on the lower right, "Hans Hofmann" and also signed verso, "Hans Hofmann". Hofmann's art is characterized by its expressive use of color planes, often overlapping and intersecting to create a sense of tension and harmony simultaneously. With the delicate mark-making and use of negative space across the canvas, “Song of Love” is reminiscent of the automatic drawings and paintings of Surrealists Andre Masson and Joan Miró, blended with the drips of paint in the large blue swaths of the Abstract Expressionist style. Provenance: The Artist, 1952-1958 Collection Harvey Kaplan, Chicago,1958-1962 Michael Reese...
Category

Mid-20th Century Post-War Hans Hofmann Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Astral Image No. 1
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"Astral Image No. 1 (M-1133)" is an abstract Post War oil on canvas painting by Hans Hofmann in 1947. The artwork is 48 x 60 inches and with the frame is 50 x 62 x 1 3/4 inches, weig...
Category

20th Century Post-War Hans Hofmann Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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...
Category

20th Century Post-War Hans Hofmann Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled
By Hans Hofmann
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"Untitled" is an oil on canvas painting made by Hans Hofmann in 1962. The artwork size is 25 x 30 1/4 inches. The framed size is 33 1/4 x 38 1/4 x 2 inches. The painting is signed lo...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Hans Hofmann Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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 ...
Category

20th Century Post-War Hans Hofmann Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

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...
Category

20th Century Post-War Hans Hofmann Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

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Hans Hofmann abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Hans Hofmann abstract paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Hans Hofmann in oil paint, paint, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Hans Hofmann abstract paintings, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of William Gear, Pierre Marie Brisson, and Sylvia Rutkoff. Hans Hofmann abstract paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $13,500 and tops out at $45,000, while the average work can sell for $20,000.

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