Karl Hofer 1952 Oil Painting Abstract Portrait of a Woman

Item Details

Karl Hofer (German; 1878 – 1955)
Untitled, 1952
Oil on canvas
Signed with artist’s monogram to lower right
Dated 1952 to lower right

An oil portrait on canvas of a woman by celebrated German Expressionist Karl Hofer (1878 – 1955), created in 1952. This abstract bust portrait features a three-quarter view of a woman’s face, rendered in simplified forms and textural fields of color. The work is signed with the artist’s monogram and dated ‘52’ to the lower right. It is presented in a carved Bernard Walsh, New York frame with a gold-tone liner. The frame is marked to the verso.

Provenance
Private Collection Washington D.C.

Considered a prominent figure of Expressionism, Karl Hofer was born in Germany and studied at the Academy of Arts in Karlsruhe. He was heavily influenced by Post-Impressionists such as Paul Cézanne and Henri Rousseau. Hofer was especially known for his figural Expressionist compositions that often feature angular forms with stark outlines and bold colors. Classified as a degenerate during the Third Reich, the artist was banned from painting and removed from museums. However, after World War II, he was appointed as the Director of the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin. Hofer’s work has been collected by many prestigious institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.

Condition

- craquelure scattered throughout painting; rubbing and paint loss along edges of painting; spots of accretion scattered throughout.

Dimensions

- measurement of frame; canvas size measures approximately 23.25" W x 28.25" H.

Item #

18DCC700-264