1487 - Karl Hofer (1878, Karlsruhe – 1955, Berlin)

Karl Hofer (1878, Karlsruhe – 1955, Berlin) Two Nude Girls in a Room A representative painting from around 1950, belonging to Hofer’s late oeuvre; as a modernist artist, he developed a style all his own, blending Expressionism, Magical Realism, New Objectivity, and Expressive Realism. Hofer was a “disillusioned idealist”; many of his paintings are imbued with a certain melancholy. The human figure always remained at the center; he rendered his figures in a flat, two-dimensional manner with defined contours, without ever fully embracing abstraction. His works, including the nudes, reflect a universal view of humanity devoid of any pathos. The figures are at peace with themselves; they rarely look directly at the viewer. An air of mystery surrounds their thoughts. Even these female nudes hover between cool, objective distance and intimacy, remaining in an undefined space. Hofer leaves it up to the viewer to look beyond the figures. Having been one of the leading modernist painters and graphic artists during the Weimar Republic, Hofer was among the artists branded as “degenerate” and ostracized during the Nazi era from 1933 to 1945. After liberation in May 1945, Hofer played an active role in establishing the Academy of Fine Arts, of which he became director, and devoted himself intensively to cultural and art policy work. Oil on canvas; signed lower right with the ligature monogram “CH.” 38 cm x 28 cm. Framed. Lit./Catalog: Karl Bernhard Wohlert: “Karl Hofer. Catalog Raisonné of Paintings,” ed. by Markus Eisenbeis, Vol. 3, Cologne 2007, No. 2279 (illustrated on p. 78). Provenance: Auction of Dr. Helmut Tenner, Heidelberg, April 26, 1969, Lot 4730 (Cat. p. 104, ill. p. 109); private collection, Baden; private collection, Hesse; private collection, Northern Germany. Oil on canvas. Signed with the monogram “CH.” Mentioned in the catalogue raisonné (Wohlert no. 2279).