Hofmann, Hans, 1880-1966, American painter, b. Germany. After earning a considerable reputation as a teacher in Munich, Hofmann moved permanently to the United States in 1930. He opened his own schools of art in New York City and in Provincetown, which were central to the development of abstract expressionism. Hofmann's work, influenced by Kandinsky, expresses his tremendous exuberance in his handling of violent, clashing colors. Representative examples of his art are Germania (Baltimore Mus. of Art) and Elegy (Walker Art Center, Minneapolis).