Ludwig von Hofmann

In the family of the present owner since the early twentieth century

Painted circa 1900. Ludwig von Hofmann's paintings form a unique synthesis of elements borrowed from classical antiquity, symbolism, and art nouveau. Central to his vision is the harmonious symbiosis between man and nature, his pictures peopled by ethereal figures in timeless arcadian landscapes. Von Hofmann was a pupil of Ferdinand Keller at the Karlsruhe Academy, and in 1889 he entered the Académie Julian in Paris where he fell under the influence of the Nabis Maurice Denis and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. In the 1890s he co-founded, with Max Liebermann, the Berlin Secession.