Hofmann was born in 1880 in Weißenburg, Bavaria. The artist studied at the Moritz Heymann art school in Munich and was greatly influenced by Impressionism and post-Impressionism. Hofmann studied in Paris for the decade before World War I, where he became interested in Cubism and Fauvism, which would eventually lead to a total commitment to gestural abstraction. He admired the work of Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Henri Matisse, whose bold treatment of colour remained a significant influence on Hofmann’s work throughout his career.
In 1930, Hofmann moved to the United States, where he became a pivotal figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement. Establishing the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts in New York City and Provincetown, Massachusetts in 1934 and 1935 respectively, he earned a reputation as an exceptional teacher. His pedagogy emphasised the importance of spontaneity and the expressive potential of colour, guiding a generation of artists including Lee Krasner, Helen Frankenthaler, Frank Stella and Joan Mitchell. Along with Josef Albers, Hofmann was one of the most important teachers of abstract art in the United States.
In 1958 Hofmann ended his hugely influential teaching career, closing his schools in New York and Provincetown, to concentrate solely on his own art. Reflecting his flourishing creative energies, it was a period that saw his work attract mounting critical acclaim. Hofmann was renowned for his innate understand of the painterly rhythm, manifested in his paintings as a spontaneous, joyful dance of colour, texture and gesture. He developed a signature technique which he called ‘push and pull’ — an interplay of colours and shapes to create a sense of depth and movement on the canvas. This method is vividly exemplified in his ‘slab’ paintings, where thick, rectangular slabs of colour appear to float and interact, showcasing his mastery of abstract composition.
In 1960, Hofmann was at the height of his creative powers, as he refined and distilled his painterly technique and its underlying principles. In 2017 Christie’s sold his 1960 masterpiece Lava for US$,8,862,500, setting a world auction record for the artist.
Hans Hofmann died in 1966 in New York. His art transcended the mere application of paint; it was a profound exploration of colour, form and emotion. Hofmann’s legacy endures through his extensive body of work and the lasting impact of his teaching.
HANS HOFMANN (1880-1966)
Evening Blue
HANS HOFMANN (1880-1966)
Blue Comet
HANS HOFMANN (1880-1966)
Le bouquet du vine
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Beatae Memoriae
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Eine kleine Nachtmusik [A Nightly Love Song]
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Swamp Series IV--Sunburst
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Te Deum
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Kaleidos
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Emerald Isle
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Terpsichore
HANS HOFMANN (1880-1966)
First Blaze of the Rising Sun
汉斯∙霍夫曼 (1880-1966)
《狂想曲》
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Sun at the Wall
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Enigma
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
First Blaze of the Rising Sun
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
The Source
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Outlook to the Sea
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Studio No. II in Blue
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Wild Vine
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Evening Magic
HANS HOFMANN (1880-1966)
Orchestral Dominance in Red
HANS HOFMANN (1880-1966)
Flowers of the Mind
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Otium cum Dignitate
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Setting Sun
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Delirious Pink
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Studio
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Golden Glow
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Symphony in the Sky
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Summer Glory
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Submerged
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Interior No. 1 - Pink Table, Yellow Tulips
HANS HOFMANN (1880-1966)
Moonlit
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
White in Blue
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Dance of the Butterflies
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Black Splash
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Untitled
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Studio Unfinished
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Arcade
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Summer Orgy
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Interpenetration
HANS HOFMANN (1880-1966)
Botanic Garden
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Colligation No. 2
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Untitled
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Foreboding of Spring
HANS HOFMANN (1880-1966)
Provincetown Harbor
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Carnival
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Untitled
Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Untitled
HANS HOFMANN (1880-1966)
Composition No. 15