Hans Hofmann (1880-1966). Untitled (double-sided work), circa 1946 (recto); circa 1952 (verso). Oil on board. 13-3/4 x 1...

Description

Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Untitled (double-sided work), circa 1946 (recto); circa 1952 (verso)
Oil on board
13-3/4 x 16-3/4 inches (34.9 x 42.5 cm)
Recto signed lower right: hans hofmann
Verso signed lower left: hans hofmann 52

PROVENANCE:
The artist, 1952;
Stan Freborg, [student of Hans Hofmann], Chicago, Illinois;
Private collection, Chicago, Illinois, by descent.

LITERATURE:
S. Villiger et al., Hans Hofmann Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, Volume II, London, 2014, p. 341, no. P561, illustrated.

"The concepts of my school are fundamental. But a true artist could violate them all."
- Hans Hofmann

Opened in 1933, the Hofmann School of Fine Art in New York was considered to be the most advanced art school in the nation before its closure in 1958. In 1935 Hofmann opened his summer school in Provincetown, Massachusetts allowing artists to escape the urban environment of New York City during the summer months to immerse themselves in the studio. By 1937 nearly half of the members of the newly founded American Abstract Artists had attended his classes. A prolific teacher who inspired artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Jan Muller, Louise Nevelson and Wolf Kahn, Hofmann was one of the seminal figures in the development of Abstract Expressionism.

Offered for the first time at auction since it was purchased from the artist, this painting was formerly in the collection of Stan Freborg (1906-1991). A child of a large Swedish immigrant family, Stan Freborg found his artistic roots while attending the Art Institute of Chicago in 1928. After studying under John Warner Norton, Freborg worked as a sketch artist for commercial publications in the late 1930s before being drafted into the Army. Upon his return from abroad, Freborg and his wife moved to Provincetown in 1957 shortly before Hofmann closed his summer school. Stan enrolled in Hofmann's school, studying directly under the artist, and became colleagues of Milton Avery and Jan Muller. While studying under Hofmann, Freborg acquired directly from him this double-sided work being offered, and he displayed alongside works by other Abstract Expressionists of the day.


More information about Hofmann, Hans O. Artist.

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