Hans Hofmann

Estate of the Artist
André Emmerich Gallery Inc., New York
Ameringer Yohe Fine Art, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above in March 2006

Toronto, David Mirvish Gallery, Hans Hofmann, March - April 1969
Montreal, Galerie Godard Lefort, Hans Hofmann, Fall 1971
Zürich, Galerie André Emmerich, Hans Hofmann, February - March 1978
New York, André Emmerich Gallery Inc., Hans Hofmann: Private Scale Paintings, 1958-64, January - February 1980
Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Hans Hofmann: Four Decades in Provincetown, July - October 2000, p. 36, illustrated in color
New York, Hunter College Art Galleries, Seeing Red, Part I: Pioneers of Nonobjective Painting, January - May 2003, p. 45 and 47, illustrated in color
Naples, Florida, Naples Museum of Art, Hans Hofmann Retrospective, November 2003 - March 2004, pl. 54, illustrated in color
New York, Ameringer Yohe Fine Art, Hans Hofmann, The Unabashed Unconscious: Reflections on Hofmann and Surrealism, March - April 2006, p. 60, illustrated in color

James Yohe, ed., Hans Hofmann, New York, 2002, p. 233, illustrated in color (and 2006 edition, p. 265, illustrated in color )
Grace Glueck, "Art Review; Only Red, Please. Yellow and Blue Are Not Wanted," New York Times, April 18, 2003, p. E32, illustrated

This work is in very good condition. There is evidence of scattered areas of light but stable craquelure, particularly at the heavier areas of impasto. There is evidence of light handling and wear at the lateral edges. There is a small passage of hard craquelure in the area of green impasto located approximately 12 in. from the right edge 16 ½ inches from the top of the canvas. There is no evidence of restoration under ultraviolet light. Framed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Painted in 1962, Flaming Nucleus is paramount to the phenomenal outpouring of creativity that occupied the last years of this incomparable artist's life. For Hofmann, painting afforded not only a mere visual encounter but a fully psycho-somatic adventure that engaged all the senses and which culminated in his final body of work. Invested with heavy surges of impasto delivered directly from the tube and scraped into the canvas weave, as well as directional brushstrokes layered to create ethereal richness, Flaming Nucleus is resplendent with free-flowing energy. The working process is left conspicuous to narrate the terms of execution: Hofmann enlisted everything to transfer paint material from knife to hand and brush to elbow. This highly visceral approach to the application of media evokes the younger painters de Kooning, Kline and Guston, while the highly saturated pigment and all-over ganzfeld effect here is reminiscent of Rothko and Newman.

Hofmann was consumed with relaying the dynamics of nature as color and depth on the picture plane. This majestic painting fully exploits the raw potency and unmatched symbolism of the color red and enunciates Hofmann's proclamation that, "There has to be openness in creation, brought back to two-dimensionality. Expansion from the inside makes the work...one must have the sensation as if the painting would explode!" (Exh. Cat., New York, Hunter College Art Galleries, Seeing Red, Part I: Pioneers of Nonobjective Painting, 2003, p. 26).