Hans Hofmann's artistic practice was central to the creative revolution in New York during and after the World Wars.
In the 1940s, Hofmann experienced the support of several key figures in the art scene, including the renowned gallery owners and dealers Peggy Guggenheim, Betty Parsons and Samuel M. Kootz. Thus, the then 64-year-old was also given his first New York solo exhibition in 1944 at Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century gallery. For the influential art critic Clement Greenberg, the show marked a breakthrough in the clash between painterly and geometric abstraction that was to herald abstract expressionism.
Hofmann's work ranged from geometric abstractions to gestural paintings that reflected his view that the gestural value of colour determined form. This earned him a leading role among Abstract Expressionist painters.
