Charles Hoffbauer (1875-1957) was a painter primarily in Paris, France, and New York, NY.
Hoffbauer was born in Paris and came to the United States in 1909 and established himself in the New York art community. Eventually, he became represented by the Knoedler Galleries and maintained a close, professional relationship with Roland Knoedler throughout his life. Before moving to the U.S., Hoffbauer attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris for three years before entering mandatory military service in Normandy. Once his military duty was fulfilled in 1897, he returned to Paris to begin his career as an artist. Years later he returned to France to fight in World War I.
Hoffbauer produced murals for the Confederate Memorial Institute, Missouri State Capitol, Arras town hall in France, New England Life Insurance Company, and Hayden Planetarium. In the 1930s, he proposed the idea of an animated, historical film based on Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812 to Walt Disney. Hoffbauer prepared a set of paintings titled "Napoleon's Russian Campaign" to support this idea. Disney declined to make the film, however he hired Hoffbauer as a research artist and remained at Disney for several years.
Hoffbauer died in Boston in 1957.