Master Class: Hans Hofmann

There is nothing like the relationship of teacher and student, a bond that becomes all the more enduring when the student rises to become a notable artist in his or her own right. In the second of a multi-part series devoted to the great artists whose students in turn became major figures, this exhibition brings together works by the brilliant and deeply influential Hans Hofmann with works from the Museum’s own collection and significant private collections. The exhibition begins with the magisterial draughtsmanship and chromaticism of Hofmann himself. The stunning roll call of his students represented in the exhibition includes Wolf Kahn, Fritz Bultman, Lee Krasner and Helen Frankenthaler. Hofmann brought the wealth of his European training (including his experiences with Matisse, the Delaunays, Kandinsky, Jawlensky and others) to the United States, where his classes became life lessons in thinking and perception. His approaches to drawing, painting and color theory changed the course of Contemporary art, especially in the U.S.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.