Paintings by Charles Hoffbauer NO. 1 New York hy Night 2 Brooklyn Bridge 3 Metropolitan Tower in Fog 4 Metropolitan Tower from Twentieth Street 5 The White Way 6 Times Square 7 Sherman Statue and Plaza Hotel 8 Gramercy Park 9 Madison Square Snow 10 The Flat Iron Building, 11 Flat Iron Building a Rainy Day 12 Excavation or the New City Hall Building 13 ^Working at the New Rector Building 14 Hudson River 15 Hudson River hy Moonlight 16 Broadway, Downtown 17 Taken from the Singer Building 18 Chinese Theatre in Chinatown 19 In Chinatown 20 Keen Valley, Adirondacks 21 The Breakfast, 22 Market Place in Cairo, Egypt 23 Deir el Bahari, Opposite Luxor, Egypt 24 Venice 25 Fourth Avenue at Twilight ON EXHIBITION AT THE GALLERIES OF M- fcnoebler & Co. 355 FIFTH AVENUE, Feb. 20th to March 4th inclusive 1911 V~-* v rvi, \ \
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CL. lie LIBRARY NO. M. KNOEDLER & CO. 1 556-8 FIFTH AVE.
ACC. NEW YORK Concerning Charles Hoffbauer
HILE Mr. Hoffbauer is not unknown on this side of the water to such as have followed the course of art events, and though few of the modern young men in France have been the subject of more general art conversation, it may be still permissable to give this public some little outline of his un usual accomplishments. These by the way, would reflect enormous credit if they had occurred at varying intervals during the long career of a painter; they are indeed re markable for one, who in years at least, may be said to be but at the beginning of real life, for Mr. Hoffbauer is still on the credit side of thirty-five. Frenchman born, despite his Teutonic patronymic, a pupil of Moreau and Cormon at the Ecole des Beaux Arts'v/heie he had been since his seventeenth year, at twenty-three he sent his first envoi to the Paris Salon and then, rolling up his sleeves, he settled down to make the competition for the 'Prix de Rome. While he was deep in the struggle for this, he received the staggering news that not only had his work been acr cepted-about which he had had his doubts, but that he had received, by a great majority of the votes of the jury, a Second Medal, making him at a stroke, Hon Concoursl It is difficult for the layman to appreciate the true signifi cance of such an honor. Immediately Mr. Hoffbauer re tired from the competition, packed up his paint box and quitted the school forever. The State bought the picture, which was called "Les Gueux," and showed an uprising of the miserable peasantry against the fighting forces of their oppressors of the moven age. In 1902, his "Revolt de Flamands", at the Salon, brought him the 'Bourse de Voyage prize, carrying with it the sum of five thousand francs for travel. Further the work was purchased for the Willstach collection, at Fairmont Park, Philadelphia, arid at once the painter set off for Rome. There he began his picture of "Le Triomphe de Condottiere"', which, after many interruptions was finally sent to the Salon of 1906 and had an instant success, winning for its author the famous "Trix de Salon", which brought him a purse of ten thousand francs for travel. In the meantime Mr. Hoffbauer had painted his now celebrated "The Battle field", that the State bought for the Luxembourg gallery, a remarkable war picture, at once terrible, pathetic and impressive. A season in England produced some es sentially British themes. There followed a picture which was secured for the National Museum, at Sydney, a curious work "Stir les Toiis'\ showing some people dining on a roof garden. Mr. Hoffbauer's only knowledge of the sky-scraper came from some photographs and descriptions of New York. The picture however, seemed sui generis and the great architectural structures, the illuminations, the search lights, were amazingly realistic. A variation of this was shown at the annual exhibition of the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, and was purchased for its permanent collection. It also fired the artist with a desire to visit America, in particular this city, wherein to paint at first hand such scenes. The present display discloses some of his efforts in this direction and it is obvious the lure of modern New York has appealed to him strongly. In the year since his ar rival, he has as it were, become one of us. In his unob trusive but systematic way he has saturated himself with the sentiment of our town and he has by no means yet said his last word. With his equipment, his amplication, and his immense enthusiasm, his ambition knows no limit, certainly acknowledges none. He is a valuable addition to our art community, and is splendidly in touch with our progress and modernity. Further, he seems to be imbued with the courage of our unconventionality. I bespeak for him a genuine welcome. ARTHUR HOEBER