Hans Hofmann papers, [ca. 1904]-1978, (bulk 1945-1965)

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A Finding Aid to the Hans Hofmann Papers, circa 1904-1978 (bulk 1945-1965), in the Archives of American Art, by Catherine S. Gaines

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Table of Contents:

• Biographical Information
• Overview of the Collection
• How to Use the Collection
• Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Biographical Information

German-born Hans Hofmann (1880-1966), a leading figure of the 20th century art world, was the first painter to be called an Abstract Expressionist. An esteemed and influential teacher, Hofmann operated his own school in Munich and later in New York City and Provincetown, Mass. He wrote extensively on theoretical aspects of modern art, and about himself as an artist and teacher, and was in demand as a speaker. Hofmann alternated among a variety of styles and techniques throughout his career. Many paintings combine Fauve-inspired color and Cubist structure; influenced by the Surrealist's automatism, much of Hofmann's abstract work often uses poured and spattered paint.

Johann (Hans) Georg Albert Hofmann showed musical and artistic talent as a boy and excelled in the study of science and mathematics. Technical knowledge acquired through working as assistant to the Director of Public Works of the State of Bavaria enabled him, while still a teenager, to invent several mechanical devices. Hofmann attended Moritz Heymann's Munich art school in 1898. Willi Schwarz, one of his teachers during this period, introduced him to Impressionism, and by visiting galleries Hofmann's awareness of contemporary art movements expanded. Schwarz also introduced him to art collector Phillip Freudenberg whose patronage made a move to Paris possible.

Hofmann arrived in Paris in 1904 and began attending evening sketch classes at the Académie Colarossi and the Académie de la Chaumière where Matisse was among his fellow students. During his 10 years in Paris, Hofmann established a close friendship with Robert Delaunay and met Braque, Arthur B. Carles, Léger, Picasso, and Leo Stein. He painted Cubist landscapes, still lifes, and figure studies, and participated in group shows with Neue Sezessions, Berlin, 1908 and 1909. In 1910, the Paul Cassierer Gallery, Berlin, presented Hofmann's first solo exhibition.

When World War I broke out, Hofmann was visiting Germany. War conditions prevented his return to Paris and terminated Freudenberg's financial assistance. Disqualified for military service due to a lung condition, Hofmann decided to earn his living by teaching. The Hans Hofmann Schule für Bildende Kunst in Munich opened in 1915 and was a success from its earliest days. Beginning in 1917, summer courses were offered in locations such as Italy, France, Bavaria, and Dalmatia. After the war, Hofmann's school began to attract American students including Carl Holty, Alfred Jensen, Louise Nevelson, Worth Ryder, Vaclav Vytlacil, and Glenn Wessels.

Hofmann first came to the United States in 1930, when former student Worth Ryder, art department chairman at the University of California, Berkeley, invited him to teach the summer session at Berkeley. He returned to California the following year, teaching a semester at the Chouinard School of Art, Los Angeles, followed by another summer session at Berkeley. Hofmann moved to New York in 1932 because of the political situation at home and at the urging of his wife, who was to remain in Germany until 1939.

While Hofmann served as guest instructor at the Thurn School of Art, Gloucester, Mass., during the summers of 1932 and 1933, his Munich school offered summer sessions taught by Edmund Daniel Kinzinger. Its 1933 prospectus noted, "Mr. Hofmann will probably conduct the summer school personally..." But he did not return, and the school closed in the fall of 1933.

Hofmann taught at Art Students League in the fall of 1932. The Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts opened in New York City in the autumn of 1933, operating in several locations before moving to permanent quarters at 52 West 8th Street in 1938. He established the summer school at Provincetown, Mass. in 1934. Firsthand knowledge of Picasso, Matisse, and european modern art trends, along with his theories and the freedom he offered students, made Hofmann a widely admired, influential, and important teacher. Among his students were: Burgoyne Diller, Ray Eames, Helen Frankenthaler, Red Grooms, Harry Holtzman, Allen Kaprow, Lillian Kiesler, Lee Krasner, George McNeil, Irene Rice Pereira, Richard Stankiewicz. In addition, art critic Clement Greenberg was significantly influenced by Hofmann's lectures on artistic theory. Both schools flourished until Hofmann decided to close them in 1958; after teaching for 43 consecutive years, he wanted to paint full-time.

In his writings, Hofmann expanded on theories regarding form, color, and space developed during his years in Paris. His most important text, Das Malerbuch: Form und Farbe in Gestaltung, based on notes begun in Paris circa 1904, was written during his second summer at Berkeley, 1931. That same year, Glenn Wessels translated it into English as Creation in Form and Color. Although Hofmann produced additional notes and revisions over the next two decades, the manuscript remains unpublished. Hofmann wrote essays and articles, many of which were published. A collection of Hofmann's writings, Search for the Real and Other Essays, was published in conjunction with his 1948 retrospective exhibition at the Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Mass., the first solo show of an Abstract Expressionist to be organized by a museum. Other published and unpublished articles, essays, and shorter writings that elucidate his theoretical concerns include: "The Mystification of the Two- and Three-Dimensional in the Visual Arts," 1946; "Pictorial Function of Colours," 1950; "Space Pictorially Realized Through the Intrinsic Faculty of the Colours to Express Volume," 1951; "The Color Problem in Pure painting-Its Creative Origin," 1955; "The Creative Process-Its Physical and Metaphysical Performing," 1956; "Nature as Experience and Its Pictorial Realization," undated; and "Pure Colour Space," undated Hofmann's lectures to his own students, and talks presented to art groups and the general public addressed many of the same themes. He gave his first American lecture in 1930 at the University of Minnesota, and presented talks to a variety of groups while in California. Hofmann was a frequent speaker at the Provincetown Art Association, and participated in the "Forum 49" series he helped organized at Gallery 200 in Provincetown, 1949.

In the last decade of his life, Hofmann produced a large number of paintings. He was represented in the XXX Venice Biennale, 1960, and major retrospective exhibitions were organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1957, and the Museum of Modern Art, 1963. In 1963, he made a gift of 45 paintings to the University of California, Berkeley, and funded construction of a wing to house them in the soon-to-be-built University Art Museum. Hans Hofmann died in New York City on Feb. 17, 1966.

Chronology

From Hans Hofmann by Helmut Friedell and Tina Dickey (New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1998).

1880

Hans Hofmann is born in Weissenburg, Bavaria, on 21 March, the son of Theodor and Franziska Hofmann.

1886

The family moves to Munich, where Theodor becomes a government official. Hans studies mathematics, science, and music at the gymnasium. He plays the violin, piano and organ and begins to draw.

1896

With his father's help, finds a position as assistant to the director of public works of the State of Bavaria. Develops his technical knowledge of mathematics, resulting in several scientific inventions, including an electromagnetic comptometer.

1898

Studies with Willi Schwarz at Moritz Heymann's art school in Munich, where he is introduced to Impressionism.

1900

Meets Maria (Miz) Wolfegg, his future wife.

1903

Through Willi Schwarz, he meets the nephew of a Berlin collector, Philipp Freudenberg, who becomes his patron from 1904-1914 and enables him to live in Paris.

1904

Frequents the Café du Dome, a haunt of artists and writers, with Jules Pascin, a friend from Moritz Heymann's school. Miz joins him in Paris. Attends evening sketch class at the Académie de la Grand Chaumière and the Académie Colarossi. Meets Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Henri Matisse.

1908

Exhibits with the Neue Sezession in Berlin and again in 1909. Miz designs scarves with Sonia Delaunay (then Sonia Uhde).

1910

First one-person exhibition held at Paul Cassirer Gallery, Berlin. Meets Robert Delaunay, with whom he designs patterns for Sonia Delaunay's Cubist fashions. During their close friendship, both men develop as colorists.

1914

Hans and Miz leave Paris for Corsica so that Hans can regain his health during a bout of what turned out to be tuberculosis. Called to Germany by the illness of his sister Rosa, they are caught on the Tegernsee by the outbreak of World War I.

1915

Disqualified for the army due to the after effects of his lung condition, and with the assistance of Freudenberg terminated by the war, Hofmann decides to earn a living teaching. In the spring, he opens the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts at 40 Georgenstrasse, Munich.

1918-29

After the war his school becomes known abroad and attracts foreign students such as Worth Ryder, Glenn Wessels, Louise Nevelson, Vaclav Vytlacil, Carl Holty, Alfred Jensen, and Ludwig Sander. Holds summer session at Tegernsee, Bavaria (1922), Ragusa (1924), Capri (1925-1927), St. Tropez (1928-1929). Makes frequent trips to Paris. Has little time to paint but draws continually.

1924

Marries Miz Wolfegg on 5 June.

1929

A series of his drawings is reproduced by a photographic process known as Lichtdrucke.

1930

At the invitation of Worth Ryder, teaches in a summer session at the University of California, Berkeley, where Ryder is chairman of the Department of Art. Returns to Munich for the winter.

1931

In the spring, teaches at the Chouinard School of Art, Los Angeles, and again at Berkeley in the summer. Wessels helps him with the first translation of his book Form und Farbe in der Gestaltung, begun in 1904. Exhibits a series of drawings at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, his first show in the United States.

1932

Returns to the Chouinard School of Art in the summer. Advised by Miz not to return to Munich because of a growing political hostility to intellectuals, settles in New York. Vaclav Vytlacil helps arrange a teaching position for him at the Art Students League.

1932-33

Summer sessions a the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts continue in St. Tropez (1932) and Murnau (1933), taught by Edmund Daniel Kinzinger. The school closes in the fall of 1933, and Miz gives up the lease in 1936.

1933

Spends the summer as guest instructor at the Thurn School of Art in Gloucester, Mass. In the fall, opens the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts at 444 Madison Avenue in New York. After a prolonged period of drawing, begins to paint again.

1934

Upon the expiration of his visa, travels to Bermuda to return with a permanent visa. Opens a summer school in Provincetown, Mass. The Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts opens at 137 East 57th Street in New York. In 1936, the Hofmann School moves to 52 West 9th Street.

1938

The Hofmann School moves to 52 West 8th Street. A planned European summer session (traveling to Paris, the Cote d'Azure, Italy, and Capri) is called off after Hitler moves into Austria in the Spring. Delivers a lecture series once a month at the school in the winter of 1938-39, which is attend by the vanguard of the New York art world, including Arshile Gorky and Clement Greenberg.

1939

Miz Hofmann arrives in America. After a stay in New Orleans, joins her husband in Provincetown. They spend five months each summer in Provincetown and the rest of the year in New York.

1941

Becomes an American citizen. Delivers an address at the annual meeting of the American Abstract Artists at the Riverside Museum. One-person exhibition at the Isaac Delgado Museum of Art, New Orleans.

1942

Hofmann's former student Lee Krasner introduces him to Jackson Pollock.

1944

First exhibition in New York at Art of This Century Gallery, arranged by Peggy Guggenheim. "Hans Hofmann, Paintings, 1941-1944" opens at the Arts Club in Chicago and travels on to the Milwaukee Art Institute in January 1945. Howard Putzel includes Hofmann in "Forty American Moderns" at 67 Gallery, New York. He is also included in "Abstract and Surrealist Art in America" at the Mortimer Brandt Gallery, New York (arranged by Sidney Janis in conjunction with publication of Janis's book of the same title).

1947

Exhibitions at Betty Parsons Gallery in New York, in Pittsburgh, and at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The Texas show travels to Denton, Tex.; Norman, Okla.; and Memphis, Tenn. Begins to exhibit with the Kootz Gallery in New York. Kootz holds a one-person show of Hofmann's work each year until his death (with the exception of 1948 and 1956).

1948

Retrospective exhibition a the Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover, Mass., in conjunction with publication of his book, Search For the Real and Other Essays.

1949

Travels to Paris to attend the opening of his exhibition at the Galerie Maeght and visits the studios of Picassso, Braque, Constantin Brancusi, and Joan Miro. Helps Fritz Bultman and Weldon Kees organize Forum 49, a summer series of lectures, panels, and exhibitions at Gallery 200 in Provincetown.

1950

Participates in a three-day symposium at Studio 35 in New York with William Baziotes, James Brooks, Willem de Kooning, Herbert Ferber, Theodoros Stamos, David Smith, and Bradley Walker Tomlin. Joins the "Irascibles"-a group of Abstract Expressionists-in an open letter protesting the exclusion of the avant-garde from an upcoming exhibition of American art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

1951

Juries the 60th Annual Exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago with Aline Louchheim and Peter Blume.

1954

One-person exhibition held at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

1955

Designs mosaic murals for the lobby of the new William Kaufmann Building, architect William Lescaze, at 711 Third Avenue, New York. Retrospective held at the Art Alliance in Philadelphia.

1957

Retrospective exhibitions held at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, which then travel to Des Moines, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis, Utica, and Baltimore.

1958

Hofmann ceases teaching to devote himself full time to painting. He moves his studio into the New York and Provincetown schools. Completes a mosaic mural for the exterior of the New York School of Printing (Kelley and Gruzen, architects) at 439 West 49th Street.

1960

Represents the United States with Philip Guston, Franz Kline, and Theodore Roszak at the XXX Venice Biennale.

1962

Retrospective exhibition opens in Germany at the Frankische Galerie am Marientor, Nuremberg, and travels to the Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, and the Kongreilhalle, Berlin. In Munich, Neue Galerie im Kunstlerhaus presents "Oils on Paper, 1961-1962." Awarded an honorary membership in the Akademie der Bildenden Kunste in Nuremberg and an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by Dartmouth College in Hanover, N. H.

1963

Miz Hofmann dies. Retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art organized by William Seitz travels throughout the United States and internationally to locations in South America and Europe, including Stuttgart, Hamburg ,and Bielefeld. Signs a historic agreement to donate 45 paintings to the University of California at Berkeley and to fund the construction of a gallery in his honor at the new university museum, then in the planning stage. The exhibition "Hans Hofmann and His Students," organized by the Museum of Modern Art, circulates in the United States and Canada.

1964

Awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Serves on the jury for the 1964 Solomon Guggenheim International Award. Becomes a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, New York. Renate Schmitz inspires the Renate series.

1965

Awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by Pratt Institute, New York. Marries Renate Schmitz on 14 October.

1966

Hans Hofmann dies on 17 February in New York.

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Overview of the Collection

Scope and Contents

The Hans Hofmann papers, 18.1 linear feet on 11 reels of microfilm, document his life and work as a writer, teacher, and painter. Papers date from circa 1904 through 1978, with the bulk spanning the period 1945-1965; those postdating his 1966 death are printed matter, documents regarding his estate, and a few papers of his widow. Among the papers are correspondence, school records, writings, address and appointment books, artifacts, artwork, biographical information, interview transcripts, sales records, and photographs. His personal papers are augmented by a large selection of printed matter-exhibition catalogs, articles, news clippings, and monographs about Hofmann and modern art. Hofmann's Library was acquired with his papers; inscribed/annotated volumes have been retained with the collection, and the remaining monographs and periodicals were transferred to the library of the Smithsonian's American Art Museum. Also included are estate records and a very small collection of papers of his second wife, Renate Schmitz Hofmann.

Correspondence, 1914-1966, undated (Series 1), consists mainly of incoming letters about professional matters and personal business. A large portion of the letters are from museum directors and curators regarding the exhibition, loan, sale or donation of Hofmann's work; publishers, editors, and others preparing catalogs or biographical works; and galleries that showed Hofmann's paintings or represented him. Also among the correspondents are students and former students, art historians, art critics, fans, and friends. Family correspondents are a sister-in-law, nieces, and a nephew in Germany. Additional correspondence concerning administrative matters, and requests for catalogs, transcripts and recommendations is among the Records of the School of Fine Arts (Series 2). Financial Records (Series 4) contain a small amount of correspondence regarding banking, taxes, and Social Security. Estate Records (Series 9) include correspondence relating to taxes, the sale of Hofmann's Provincetown house, and various legal documents. Correspondence among the Papers of Renate Schmitz Hofmann (Series 10) include condolence letters, and a small number of personal letters and business correspondence regarding Hofmann's estate.

School of Fine Arts Records, 1915-1965, undated (Series 2), include a very small number of items relating to the Hans Hofmann Schule fur Bildende Kunst that operated Munich from 1915 until 1933. These are printed prospectuses, a financial record, 1925; and "Italian Schools of Painting: The Renaissance in Italy," a printed chart, probably used as a teaching aid. Other items relating to the Munich school are photographs (Series 6) of Hans Hofmann with students in the 1920s, including some taken during the summer course in Capri, circa 1925. Travel photographs, 1920s, may have been taken while teaching summer courses in Europe, and an unidentified photograph, undated, of an exhibition installation in Germany may be school-related.

The Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts was established in New York in 1933, and his summer school in Provincetown, Mass., opened in 1934; both operated continually until Hofmann closed them in 1958 in order to paint full-time. Records of these schools are more substantial, but still quite incomplete. They consist of administrative files containing accreditation records, correspondence, model bookings, inquiries from prospective students, and printed matter about the schools. Financial records are comprised of expense statements and an analysis of income from the 1956 summer session. Student records consist of student ledgers, registration and payment records, and requests for transcripts and recommendations. Miscellaneous items are student artwork and notes. Records postdating the schools' closing are inquiries from prospective students and requests from former students for transcripts or recommendations. Additional letters from former students about matters other than transcripts and recommendations are filed with Correspondence (Series 1).

Writings, circa 1904-1965, undated (Series 3), are published and unpublished manuscripts by Hans Hofmann and other authors. Hoffman wrote extensively about his philosophy of painting, about himself as a teacher and an artist, and about modern art. Included are manuscripts, drafts, and revisions of Hofamnn's book, Das Malerbuch: Form und Farbe in Gestaltung, circa 1904-[1952?], Search for the Real in the Visual Arts and Other Essays, published in 1948, and The Painter and His Problems-A Manual Dedicated to Painting, 1963. Articles and Essays include the constituent essays of Search for the Real in the Visual Arts and Other Essays and others on theoretical aspects of painting, Alfred Maurer, and Charles W. Hawthorne. Talks and Lectures consist of notes, outlines, and some complete texts of Hofmann's speeches. Miscellaneous Writings are shorter, informative pieces, mostly unpublished. Representative titles include: "I Am Often Asked to Explain My Work," 1946, and "About the Relation of Students and Teachers," undated Poems by Hofmann include some written to Miz. Notes and Lists include notes on specific works of art and lists of paintings for exhibitions, framing, and shipping.

Financial Records, 1927-1966 (Series 4, unfilmed), consist mainly of banking records and tax returns with supporting documentation. There are also statements of assets and liabilities, and a few subject files concerning financial matters such as "House Expenses," "Social Security," and "University of California-Financial Standing With." Additional tax records are among the documents of the Estate of Hans Hofmann (Series 9), and expenses are recorded in his 1932 appointment book (Series 5).

Miscellaneous Records, 1906-1966, undated (Series 5) include Addresses and Appointment Books. Artifacts (unfilmed) are a leather wallet and 6 photogravure blocks. Artwork consists of 4 sketches and block prints of 3 red shapes, one the numeral 5. Included with Biographical Information are birth and marriage certificates, immigration and naturalization papers, wills, Hofmann and Wolfegg family documents, biographical notes and chronologies, and a bibliography of writings on and by Hofmann. Interview Transcripts are of 3 interviews with Hofmann conducted for various purposes. Sales Records include lists of paintings sold through galleries and privately, and a list of prices computed by canvas size.

Photographs, circa 1925-1966, undated (Series 6) are of People, Events, Places, Works of Art, and Miscellaneous Subjects; also, Oversize Photographs. People include views of Hofmann alone and with Miz, students, and others; Miz Hofmann; Renate Schmitz Hofmann; and Hofmann family . Also, there are pictures of identified and unidentified individuals and groups. Event recorded are "Forum 49" at Gallery 200, exhibition installations, openings, and ceremonies for honorary degrees awarded Hofmann. Photographs of places include Miz Hofmann's Munich apartment, interior and exterior views of Hofmann's Provincetown house, exterior of the Provincetown school, Hofmann's New York studio, and unidentified houses and landscapes. Travel pictures are of Italy, Mexico, California [?], and unidentified locations. Photographs of works of art by Hofmann are mainly 35-mm color slides of works executed 1935-1965 (unfilmed). There are also photographs of works by other artists and Hofmann students. Teaching materials are photographs of Old Masters paintings, drawings, and Classical sculpture, some marked to indicate line, form, or proportion. Miscellaneous subjects are a dog, cat, and doll; also, cover design for Search for the Real in the Visual Arts. The oversize photographs include portraits of Hans Hofmann and Miz, and works of art by Hofmann students.

Printed Matter, 1930-1978, undated (Series 7), contains articles, essays and a letter to the editor by Hans Hofmann; the remaining material by other authors is categorized by type. Exhibition Catalogs and Related Items (mainly announcements and invitations), 1931-1978, undated, are from group and solo shows that featured the work of Hans Hofmann; also, catalogs and announcements of other artists' exhibitions collected by Hofmann (unfilmed). Newspaper clippings and articles from periodicals include reviews, feature articles, articles with brief references to Hofmann or reproductions of his work, and obituaries. Others are on art-related topics and miscellaneous subjects [unfilmed]. Miscellaneous printed matter includes a variety of items such as brochures about art courses (not Hofmann school), reproductions of works by Hofmann and other artists, book prospectuses, and statements. Art Museum: A Center for Cultural Study, a prospectus showing models and drawings of the proposed University Art Museum, Berkeley, notes the location of its Maria and Hans Hofmann Wing. A Scrapbook, 1944-1962, contains clipping, exhibition reviews, and some catalogs, checklists, and invitations. Nineteen books [unfilmed] mentioning or about Hofmann are a part of this series.

Hans Hofmann's Library (Series 8, unfilmed) of art books and general literature was acquired with his papers. Inscribed and annotated volumes have been retained. Books about or mentioning Hofmann are among Printed Matter (Series 7). All other books and periodicals (376 items) were transferred to the Library of the Smithsonian's American Art Museum.

Estate of Hans Hofmann, 1945-1974, undated (Series 9), consists of records of Hofmann's attorney and co-executor, Robert Warshaw, and includes correspondence and legal documents concerning taxes, the Provincetown house, and miscellaneous business matters.

Papers of Renate Schmitz Hofmann, 1962-1967, undated (Series 10), include notes, correspondence, condolence letters and records regarding Hans Hofmann's funeral, and information about the theft of Hofmann paintings from his Provincetown house in 1966.

Other Hans Hofmann Papers, 1929-1976 (1.65 linear ft.) are owned by The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley (Collection number: BANC MSS 80/27 c). An inventory is available on The Bancroft Library's website at http//www.lib.berkeley.edu/BANC/

Arrangement and Series Description

The Hans Hofmann papers are arranged into 10 series. Correspondence (Series 1) and Financial Records (Series 4) are arranged alphabetically by folder title. Each of the other series is divided into several subseries, with the arrangement described in detail in the Series Descriptions. Unless noted otherwise, material within each folder is arranged chronologically.

• Series 1: Correspondence, 1914-1966, undated (boxes 1-3, reels 5801- 5804)
• Series 2: School of Fine Arts Records, 1915-1965, undated (boxes 4-5, reels 5804-5806)
• Series 3: Writings, circa 1904-1965, undated (boxes 6-7, 20-21, reels 5806-5808 and unfilmed)
• Series 4: Financial Records, 1927-1966, undated (box 7, reel 5808)
• Series 5: Miscellaneous Records, 1906-1966, undated (box 8, reels 5808-5809)
• Series 6: Photographs, circa 1925-1965, undated (boxes 9 -10, reel 5809)
• Series 7: Printed Matter, 1928-1978 and undated (boxes 11-16, reel 5809-5810)
• Series 8: Hans Hofmann Library (boxes 16-19, unfilmed)
• Series 9: Estate Records, 1945-1974, undated (box 19, reel 5811)
• Series 10: Papers of Renate Schmitz Hofmann, 1962-1967, undated (box 19, reel 5811)

Subjects and Names

Provenance

Renate Schmitz Hofmann, widow of the artist, donated to the Archives of American Art 313 35-mm color slides of work by Hans Hofmann in 1974. The remainder of the collection was a gift of the Estate of Hans Hofmann in 1997. In 2006 additional manuscripts, notes and illustrations for Das Malerbuch: Form und Farbe in der Gestaltung by Hofmann were received from the Renate, Hans and Maria Hofmann Trust.

Separated and Related Materials

The holdings of the Archives of American Art include papers and oral history interviews of many former students and friends of Hofmann; among these collections are correspondence, photographs, reminiscences, writings, and printed items relating to Hofmann and his school. Noteworthy is the collection of research material compiled by Tina Dickey concerning Hans Hofmann, 1991-2000, including oral history interviews with 27 former students, a recording of a panel discussion, "Forum 2000: Hans Hofmann, the Painter," held at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, 2000, and a register of students, 1918-1958 compiled by Dickey. The Lillian Kiesler Papers, 1920s-1990s include records of the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts. Researchers are advised to conduct a name search in the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS).

How the Collection was Processed

The collection was processed by Catherine S. Gaines in 2001.

How to Use the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy. Use of the unmicrofilmed portion requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D. C. research facility.

Ownership & Literary Rights

The Hans Hofmann papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Available Formats

The bulk of the collection is available on 35mm microfilm reels 5801-5811 at Archives of American Art offices, and through interlibrary loan.

How to Cite this Collection

Hans Hofmann papers, circa 1904-1978 (bulk 1945-1965). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Series 1: Correspondence, 1914-1966, undated (Boxes 1-3; 3.0 linear ft.; Reels 5801-5804)

The correspondence of Hans Hofmann consists mainly of incoming letters about personal and professional matters. Correspondents include museums, galleries, art dealers, collectors, former students, art historians, critics, fans, friends, and relatives. This series is arranged alphabetically by correspondent and also includes a few subject files (e.g. "Autograph Requests," "Car Accident," and "War Compensation"). Although the date of Hofmann's reply is often noted on letters received, outgoing letters are limited to a small number of drafts and carbon copies. Because Hofmann's wife, Miz, often handled his business affairs and was friendly with his former students, many letters are addressed to her. Letters in foreign languages-mostly German, but some in Italian and French-are noted.

Correspondents include Art of This Century Gallery (Peggy Guggenheim), Baltimore Museum of Art, Hofmann's dealer Samuel M. Kootz , the Museum of Modern Art, Mortimer Brandt Gallery (Betty Parsons), Betty Parsons Gallery, Howard Putzel of 67 Gallery, the Whitney Museum of American Art. Their letters document arrangements for Hofmann's major exhibitions and also concern the loan, sale, and donation of paintings.

With the exception of a file titled "War Compensation," correspondence is limited to the years of Hofmann's residence in the United States. "War Compensation" correspondence and related records, 1912-1923, concern Hofmann's claim against the German government for personal property-including works of art-removed from his Paris apartment in 1914 while he was in Corsica. Correspondence documents attempts to learn the fate of his paintings and the claims process. Correspondents are painter Rudolph Levy, who may have sold Hofmann's paintings and possessions during the time he sublet the apartment; sculptor Eugen Steinhof, Monsieur Haven and Hermann Hailer, who would assist with the claim; and the Bund des Auslandsdeutschen, Bavarian Section. Supporting documentation consists of leases for his Paris apartment and a floorplan, drawn by Hofmann, that indicates placement of furniture and includes an inventory of possessions,including works of art, with values for each item.

Small quantities of additional correspondence are filed with other series. School of Fine Arts Records (Series 2) include inquiries from prospective students, requests for transcripts and recommendations; Immigration and Naturalization Service approval of the school, correspondence about foreign students and correspondence with the Veterans Administration. Financial Records (Series 4) contain correspondence with the American Express Company, the Social Security Administration, and several banks. Estate Records (Series 9) include correspondence regarding taxes, Hofmann's Provincetown house, and legal matters concerning settlement of his estate. Papers of Renate Schmitz Hofmann (Series 10) include personal and estate correspondence, as well as condolence letters.

Series 2: School of Fine Arts Records, 1915-1965, undated (Boxes 4-5; 2.0 linear ft.; Reels 5804-5806)

The Hans Hofmann Schule für Bildende Kunst operated in Munich from 1915-1933. The very sparse extant records are small amount of printed matter and a financial document. The Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, was established in New York in 1933, and his summer school in Provincetown, Massachusetts, opened in 1934. Both closed in 1958, because after 43 consecutive years of teaching, Hofmann wanted to be able to paint full-time. Records of the New York and Provincetown schools are more extensive, but far from complete.

A small cache of records concerning Hofmann's school in Munich is supplemented by photographs (Series 6) containing views of Hans Hofmann with students during the 1920s, including some taken during a summer session in Capri, circa 1925. Travel photographs from the same period may have been taken while teaching summer courses in Europe. An undated, unidentified photograph of an exhibition installation in Germany may be school-related.

Records concerning Hofmann's schools in New York City and Provincetown, Mass., consist of administrative, financial, student, and miscellaneous records. Material postdating the schools' 1958 closings consist of letters of inquiry from prospective students and requests from former students for transcripts or recommendations. Additional letters from former students are with Correspondence (Series 1).

For the large part, student records were created and maintained by registrar James Gahagan and his staff. Student ledgers note date of first entry into day and evening courses and tuition paid. A variety of other information is also included in the student ledgers: number of class hours and fees for supplies are entered in vol. 1, vols. 2 and 3 record advance payments for summer school, lists of monitors and scholarships are included in vols. 3 and 4, and a partial roster of summer school students appears in vol. 4. Requests for transcripts and recommendations are addressed to Hofmann who appears to have handled these matters directly.

Among the miscellaneous items are a gouache painting by student Trude Baumann, and class notes of Dorothy G. Hales/Dorothy H. Gary.

This series is divided into 2 subseries:

• 2.1: Munich, 1915-1933
• 2.2: New York City and Provincetown, circa 1936-1965, undated

2.1: Munich, 1915-1933

2.2: New York City and Provincetown, Mass., circa 1936-1965, undated

2.2.1: Administrative Records

2.2.2: Financial Records

2.2.3: Student Records

2.2.4: Miscellaneous

Series 3: Writings, circa 1904-1965, undated (Boxes 6-7, 20-21; 2.6 linear ft.; Reels 5806-5808 and unfilmed)

This series includes published and unpublished manuscripts, drafts, revisions, and notes by Hofmann and other authors, organized by type-books, articles and essays, etc. Hans Hofmann wrote extensively about his philosophy of painting, about himself as a teacher and an artist, and about modern art. Writings by other authors are mainly about Hofmann and modern art.

Books, arranged alphabetically by title, include manuscripts, drafts, and revisions. Considered Hofmann's most important text, Das Malerbuch: Form und Farbe in Gestaltung, circa 1904-1952[?], is an instructional primer begun in Paris circa 1904 and added to over many years. It remains unpublished. An English translation, Creation in Form and Color, was made by Glenn Wessels in 1931. Peggy Huck's translation, The Supersensitory Origin of Painting, was completed in 1931. After microfilming was completed, several versions of Das Malerbuch and the two English translations were received from the Renate, Hans and Maria Hofmann Trust in 2006. Search for the Real and Other Essays, was issued in 1948 to accompany Hofmann's retrospective exhibition at the Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Mass., the first one-man show of an Abstract Expressionist organized by a museum.

Articles and essays consist of published and unpublished manuscripts arranged alphabetically by title, with untitled items alphabetized by first line. Among them are the constituent essays of Search for the Real and Other Essays: "The Search for the Real in the Visual Arts," "Sculpture," "On the Aims of Art;" and "Plastic Creation."

Notes, outlines, and some complete texts of speeches are arranged chronologically. Miscellaneous writings are shorter, informative, mostly unpublished pieces written between 1944 and 1960. Untitled items are alphabetized by first line. Representative titles include: "I am Often Asked to Explain My Work," "A Reply to the Demand to Name some of My Students that have come Into Prominence," and "About the relation of students and teachers." Hofmann revised 5 manuscripts ("Untitled, in German, undated") by literally cutting and pasting portions onto very long sheets which were then rolled tightly for storage. Over the years, the glue dried out and the scrolls came apart; fortunately, most sections were numbered sequentially, so their order could be reconstructed fairly well prior to microfilming.

Among the notes and lists are notes on works of art concerning "Construction," "Magenta and Blue," the Chiamabote mural, and New York School of Printing mosaic. Lists of paintings include works to be exhibited at Galerie Maeght, Paris, Mirski Gallery, Boston, and Whitney Museum; works to be framed; and works to be shipped.

Writings by other authors are mostly unpublished articles, essays, and reviews arranged alphabetically by author. An untitled piece by C. Z., most likely Carl Zigrosser, was written in response to an article about the psychlogy of Picaasso's art by Carl Jung. Unsigned items include a review of Camille Pisarro: Letters to his Son Lucien, ed. John Rewald, undated; review of Hofmann exhibitions at the 67 Gallery, 1945, and Galerie Maeght, 1949.

This series is divided into 2 subseries:

• 3.1: By Hofmann, 1928-1965, undated
• 3.2: By Other Authors, circa 1904-1964, undated

3.1: By Hofmann, 1928-1965, undated

3.1.1: Books, A-Z

3.1.2: Articles and Essays

3.1.3: Talks and Lectures

3.1.4: Miscellaneous Writings

3.1.5: Poems

3.1.6: Notes and Lists

3.2: By Other Authors, circa 1910-1964, undated

3.2.1: About Hofmann and Modern Art

3.2.2: Poems

Series 4: Financial Records, 1927-1966, undated (Box 7; 0.5 linear ft.; Reel 5808)

Financial records, filed alphabetically by folder title, consist mainly of banking records, and tax returns and supporting documentation. Additional tax records are among the records regarding Hans Hofmann's Estate (Series 9). In addition, there are statements of assets and liabilities and a few subject files concerning financial matters.

Series 5: Miscellaneous Records, 1906-1966, undated (Box 8; 0.75 linear ft.; Reels 5808-5809)

Miscellaneous Records are organized into a number of categories, most of which include just a few items. Each folder is arranged chronologically.

The early portion of the 1932 appointment book records Hofmann's business and personal expenses. Artwork by Hofmann consists of 4 sketches and are in ink and pencil and 3 oversize block prints of flat, red shapes (one is the numeral 5).

Among the miscellaneous items included with biographical information are Hofmann's permit to paint in the Luxembourg Gardens issued in 1911, power of attorney, a building permit, automobile registration, galley proof of entry for Who's Who in the East (10th edition), and Hofmann's calling card. Additional wills are with the miscellaneous Estate Records (Series 9).

This series is divided into 7 subseries:

• 5.1: Addresses, circa 1930-1966, undated
• 5.2: Appointment Books, 1932, 1960, 1966
• 5.3: Artifacts, undated
• 5.4: Artwork by Hofmann, undated
• 5.5: Biographical Information, 1883-1966, undated
• 5.6: Interview Transcripts, 1952-1966
• 5.7: Sales Records, 1946-19965, undated

5.1: Addresses, circa 1930-1966, undated

5.2: Appointment Books, 1932, 1960, 1966

5.3: Artifacts, undated

5.4: Artwork by Hofmann, undated

5.5: Biographical Information, 1883-1966, undated

5.6: Interview Transcripts, 1952-1966

5.7: Sales Records, 1946-1965, undated

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1925-1966, undated (Boxes 9-10; 1.25 linear ft.; Reel 5809)

Photographs are of people, events, places, works of art, and miscellaneous subjects. Within these categories, photographs are organized into the subjects indicated by the folder titles listed below. Each folder is arranged chronologically; 35-mm color slides and negatives have not been microfilmed. Oversize photographs are of people and works of art; these items are stored and microfilmed together, and appropriate cross references are provided.

Photographs of people include Hofmann alone, with Miz, with students and others. They are mostly undated and are arranged in rough chronological order. Among the pictures of Hans and Miz Hofmann are several of them wearing oriental costumes, circa 1920s. Those of Hofmann with students and others are mostly unidentified (the one exception is a view labeled "Fred Hauck, Janet Chase, Herr Hofmann, Warren Cheney, Molly Bennett at Upper Angora Lake above Lake Tahoe, California, August, 1930;" in the folder titled "Hans Hofmann with Others"); several photographs in this category are over or under exposed, obscuring faces. A small leather album stamped with the title "Snap Shots Hancock, N.Y." contains 15 photographs of Hans, Miz, students, and friends. Photographs of identified individuals are Georg Hampton, Effie Bell Rogers, and Cornelia Ryder; only first names are provided for the few group shots that are identified.

Photographs of events record some of the "Forum 49" events held at Gallery 200 include Fritz Bultman, Adolph Gottlieb, Hemley, Hans Hofmann, Weldon Kees, Karl Knaths, Blanche Lazell, and Judith Rothschild. Exhibition installation views and photographs of openings are of the Venice Biennale, 1960; Galerie im Künstlerhaus, Munich, 1962; Museum of Modern Art, "Recent Acquisitions: Painting and Sculpture," 1966; and an unidentified exhibition in Germany, undated Also documented are ceremonies at which Hofmann was awarded honorary degrees: University of California, Berkeley, 1964, includes many views with Glenn and Kay Wessels, and Monica and John Haley at the San Francisco airport; and Pratt Institute Founder's Day, 1965.

Many of Hofmann's paintings are visible in the photographs of places. Views of Hofmann's New York studio, 1966, include paintings and images of Renate Schmitz Hofmann. Travel pictures are of Italy, Mexico, California[?], and unidentified locations.

Photographs of works by Hans Hofmann include the New York School of Printing mural, and "Summer" and "Rhapsody" from his Renate series. Also part of this subseries are Renate Schmitz Hofmann's 1974 gift of 313 35-mm color slides of paintaings executed between 1935 and 1965. Other artists are Detre, Georg Hampton, M. Wolfegg Hofmann, Sterling Poindexter, Myron S. Stout, L. Vivin (represented in Hofmann's personal art collection), Glenn Wessels, and Fritz Winter. Teaching materials are photographs of Old Masters paintings, drawings, and Classical sculpture, some marked to indicate line, form, or proportion; many are stamped "staatlich genehigt, Schule für bildende Kunst, Hans Hofmann, München."

Oversize photographs include portraits of Hofmann by Sid Grossman, Arnold Newman, Irving Penn, and Leon Schnall; Miz was photographed by Ruth Jacobi-Roth and Marvin Lazarus. With the exception of a nude study by Lee Krasner, student works are unidentified.

This series is divided into 6 subseries:

• 6.1: People, 1920s-1965, undated
• 6.2: Events, 1949-1966
• 6.3: Places, 1920s-1967, undated
• 6.4: Works of Art, 1930-1965, undated
• 6.5: Miscellaneous Subjects, 1941-1948
• 6.6: Oversize, 1940-1965, undated

6.1: People, 1920s-1965, undated

6.2: Events, 1949-1966

6.3: Places, 1920s-1967, undated

6.4: Works of Art, 1930-1965, undated

6.5: Miscellaneous Subjects, 1941-1948

6.6: Oversize, 1940-1965, undated

Series 7: Printed Matter, 1930-1978, undated (Boxes 11-16; 5.25 linear ft.; Reels 5809-5811)

Printed Matter by Hans Hofmann is segregated; items by other authors are categorized by type, with each division arranged chronologically.

Printed Matter By Hans Hofmann contains "Plastic Creation," 1932; Search for the Real and Other Essays, 1948; "The Color Problem in Pure Painting-Its Creative Origin," 1956; "Hawthorne-The Painter: An Appreciation," 1960 (in Hawthorne on Painting; From Students' Notes Collected by Mrs. Charles Hawthorne) and 1962 (in Charles W. Hawthorne, 1872-1930, Shore Galleries, Boston); "A Tribute to Adelyn D. Breeskin," 1962 (in the Baltimore Museum of Art News, summer 1962); statement on the work of Edith Sachs, undated (printed in announcement for her show, Feb. 23-March 8, Zodiac Gallery, New York); and an undated letter to the editor of Look.

Exhibition Catalogs and Related Items concerning artists other than Hofmann have not been microfilmed.

Miscellaneous printed matter includes a wide variety of items. An auction catalog for a fundraising event includes a Hofmann painting donated by the artist. University Art Museum: A Center for Cultural Study [UC, Berkeley], undated is a prospectus that shows models and drawings of the building and the location of its Maria and Hans Hofmann Wing. The scrapbook contains clippings, mainly exhibition reviews, and a small number of catalogs, checklists and invitations. Also included are two undated statements: "A Statement to the Public: Who Broke the Birds Nest?" by The Independent Advancing Artists, and "Aesthetic Realism: A General Statement."

This series is divided into 6 subseries:

• 7.1: By Hans Hofmann, 1932-1962, undated
• 7.2: Exhibition Catalogs and Related Items, 1931-1978, undated
• 7.3: Newspaper Clippings, 1930-1974, undated
• 7.4: Articles from Periodicals, 1928-1971, undated
• 7.5: Miscellaneous Printed Matter, 1936-1965, undated
• 7.6: Books Mentioning/About Hofmann, 1934-1963, undated

7.1: By Hans Hofmann, 1932-1962, undated

7.2: Exhibition Catalogs and Related Items, 1931-1978, undated

7.2.1: Hoffman

7.2.2: Other Artists, Solo Exhibitions

7.2.3: Other Artists, Group Exhibitions

7.3: Newspaper Clippings, 1930-1974, undated

7.4: Articles from Periodicals, 1928-1971, undated

7.5: Miscellaneous Printed Matter, 1936-1965, undated

7.6: Books Mentioning or About Hofmann, 1934-1963, undated

Series 8: Hans Hofmann Library, undated (Boxes 16-19; 2.25 linear ft.)

Books from Hans Hofmann's personal library were included among the papers donated to the Archives of American Art. Inscribed and annotated volumes have been retained with the collection. Art books have been separated from general literature, and each of these categories is boxed alphabetically as indicated below. A small selection of books by, about, or mentioning Hofmann are among the printed matter described in Series 8.

All other books and periodicals (376 items) were transferred to the Library of the Smithsonian's American Art Museum, which retained relevant volumes, dispersed others to appropriate libraries within the Smithsonian Institution, and made final decisions regarding disposition of any remaining items.

This series is divided into 2 subseries:

• 8.1: Inscribed/Annotated Volumes-Art, undated
• 8.2: Inscribed/Annotated Volumes-General Literature, undated

8.1: Inscribed/Annotated Volumes-Art, undated

8.2: Inscribed/Annotated Volumes-General Literature, undated

Series 9: Estate of Hans Hofmann, 1945-1974, undated (Box 19; 0.5 linear ft.; Reel 5811)

Estate records are those of Robert Warshaw of Trubin, Sillcocks, Edelman & Knapp, Hofmann's attorney and co-executor. Material predating Hofmann's death are items collected to document the purchase of his Provincetown house, copies of records relating to the Estate of Maria Hofmann appended to legal documents filed on behalf of the Hans Hofmann Estate, and earlier tax records requested by the Internal Revenue Service for an audit of the 1965 tax return filed by the estate.

Other tax records are filed with Financial Records (Series 4). Massachusetts estate tax records include some documents regarding the Estate of Maria Hofmann. Additional wills are among the biographical information with Miscellaneous Records (Series 5). Further information concerning the 1966 art theft is with the Papers of Renate Schmitz Hofmann (Series 10).

This series is divided into 3 subseries:

• 9.1: Taxes, 1962-1973, undated
• 9.2: Provincetown House, 1945-1973
• 9.3: Miscellaneous, 1965-1974

9.1: Taxes, 1962-1973, undated

9.2: Provincetown House, 1945-1973

9.3: Miscellaneous, 1965-1974

Series 10: Papers of Renate Schmitz Hofmann, 1962-1967, undated (Box 19; 6 folders; Reel 5811)

German-born Renate Schmitz Hofmann (1930-1992) inspired Hofmann's Renate series painted in 1965, the year they were married. Her papers include condolence letters and records regarding Hans Hofmann's funeral. Among her other correspondence are a letter addressed to Dave about her relationship with Hofmann, a copy of a letter from John Querido to Samuel Kootz concerning the accusation that Renate had allowed other dealers to sell paintings from the Hofmann Estate, and correspondence with Henry Ford II and the Ford Motor company regarding complaints about their vehicle. A file titled Art Theft contains clippings about the theft of paintings from Hofmann's Provincetown home and their subsequent recovery. Notes consist of a spiral notebook, mostly in shorthand, containing what are probably notes from Nina Morgan's courses "Art of Conversation" and "Creative Living" held at Central YWCA; also, loose notes, "History of Western Philosophy."

Postcards from Renate Schmitz to Hofmann are filed with Correspondence (Series 1), and Photographs (Series 6) include pictures of her. Additional records regarding the art theft from the Provincetown house are included with the Hans Hofmann Estate Records (Series 9).