Albert Hoffman (artist)
Encyclopedia
Albert Hoffman was an American painter and wood carver. Never progressing beyond a sixth-grade education, Hoffman earned his living operating a junkyard in Galloway Township, near Atlantic City, New Jersey
. A self-taught artist
, he found inspiration in narratives from the Torah
and Nevi'im
; over his lifetime he produced over 250 carvings whose subjects were drawn from the Bible or from his Jewish background. His works are also a mirror of his personal interests: whaling
, horse racing
, and Native Americans
all found places in his paintings.
He produced three different types of carvings, bas reliefs, columnar reliefs, and compositional groups.
Though he sold some of his works, and also did some carving for local synagogue
s, he created most of his art for himself. Nonetheless, he exhibited his work locally, where it won top prizes. His work has been shown across the eastern United States
and a number of American museums hold public collections, including the American Folk Art Museum
, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum
, and the Noyes Museum of Art.
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. A self-taught artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, he found inspiration in narratives from the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
and Nevi'im
Nevi'im
Nevi'im is the second of the three major sections in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh. It falls between the Torah and Ketuvim .Nevi'im is traditionally divided into two parts:...
; over his lifetime he produced over 250 carvings whose subjects were drawn from the Bible or from his Jewish background. His works are also a mirror of his personal interests: whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
, horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
, and Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
all found places in his paintings.
He produced three different types of carvings, bas reliefs, columnar reliefs, and compositional groups.
Though he sold some of his works, and also did some carving for local synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s, he created most of his art for himself. Nonetheless, he exhibited his work locally, where it won top prizes. His work has been shown across the eastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and a number of American museums hold public collections, including the American Folk Art Museum
American Folk Art Museum
The American Folk Art Museum is a museum devoted to American folk art, as well as the work of international self-taught artists. It has branches at 45 West 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, in Midtown Manhattan .In May 2011 the Museum of Modern Art bought its 53rd Street location...
, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum
The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum is a museum located in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Initially based on donations from Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, it was founded in 1957 and then subsequently expanded to contain a much higher number of objects of folk art...
, and the Noyes Museum of Art.