Ruth M. Erb Hoffman (1902 – May 9, 1968) was an American artist and sculptor, based in Buffalo, New York.
Ruth Erb Hoffman | |
|---|---|
 Ruth Erb Hoffman, from the 1926 yearbook of Wellesley College | |
| Born | 1902 Buffalo, New York, United States |
| Died | May 9, 1968 (aged 65–66) Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Artist, sculptor, educator |
Early life and education
editRuth M. Erb was born in Buffalo, New York, the daughter of Lucius L. Erb and Henrietta (Hattie) Miller Erb. Her father was a real estate and insurance agent; he died in 1933.[1]
Erb graduated from Wellesley College in 1926.[2][3] She also studied at the Child-Walker School of Fine Arts and Crafts, and studied with artists Ann Brockman,[3] Edwin Walter Dickinson, Charles E. Burchfield, and Arthur Lee.[4]
Career
editHoffman painted landscapes and still life compositions. In 1947 she had a joint show with fellow Buffalo artist Virginia Tillou, titled "Flower Variations".[5] "Mrs. Hoffman's palette is an unusually broad one," commented a reviewer. "She is particularly adept at representing flowers within the setting of a room, arranging them in skillful reference to a pair of chairs, a windowsill with a view beyond, a porch railing."[5] Another reviewer wrote, in 1950, that "Ruth Hoffman's landscapes have a radiance about them that could bring any dull and comfortless north room in which they were hung the brilliance of a conservatory."[6] In 1958, she had solo show of works based on her travels in Italy.[7] She exhibited her work at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Albright Art Gallery, the Carnegie Institute,[3][8] Miami Beach Art Gallery,[9] the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Riverside Art Museum, the Terry Art Institute, and the Sisti Galleries.[4]
She was an assistant art instructor at Wellesley in 1928.[3] In Buffalo, she worked from a studio over the garage at her mother's house on Main Street.[10] In 1933 she was one of the seven founders of the Patteran Society, a progressive artists' organization in Buffalo.[4][11] "You can look at something day after day and hardly notice it until one day when the light hits it in a different way—such as when a storm comes along—and makes it very beautiful," she explained in 1965.[12]
Personal life and legacy
editRuth Erb married orthodontist Burton A. Hoffman in 1931. Her husband died in 1967,[13] and she died in a car accident in 1968, at the age of 66, at Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.[14] Her works are in the collection of the Burchfield Penney Art Center,[4] and the Dallas Museum of Art.[15]
References
edit- ^ "Mrs. Lucius L. Erb; Daughter of Early Local Settlers". The Buffalo News. 1951-01-23. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-10-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wellesley College, Legenda (1926 yearbook): 49.
- ^ a b c d "Buffalo Woman is the Only One to Win Carnegie Exhibit Award". The Buffalo News. 1941-10-25. p. 58. Retrieved 2022-10-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Ruth Erb Hoffman". Burchfield Penney Art Center. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- ^ a b "Hoffman-Tillou 'Flower Variations' Vivid; Large Patteran Show Pleases at Gallery". The Buffalo News. 1947-11-08. p. 20. Retrieved 2022-10-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gallery Opens a Print Room; 5 Artists Score". The Buffalo News. 1950-01-21. p. 15. Retrieved 2022-10-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mrs. Hoffman's Work Shown". The Buffalo News. 1958-04-02. p. 24. Retrieved 2022-10-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rohr, Nora Lee (1941-10-25). "Carnegie Show Honors Buffalo; Art Trend Found Encouraging". The Buffalo News. p. 29. Retrieved 2022-10-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wrobel, Frances (1949-05-02). "Four-Man Art Exhibit Open at Beach Gallery". The Miami News. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-10-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Stark, Edith Natalie (1933-03-25). "Arts Attract Many Women in Search for Hobbies". The Buffalo News. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-10-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Reeves, Jean (1967-10-04). "Patteran Show at State College is One of Group's Best Ever". The Buffalo News. p. 73. Retrieved 2022-10-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Joffe, Sue (1965-10-06). "Butcher's Paper is her Canvas; Ruth Erb Hoffman Uses Whatever's Handy When Inspired". The Buffalo News. p. 55. Retrieved 2022-10-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Memorial Services Set Tomorrow for Dr. B. A. Hoffman". The Buffalo News. 1967-01-30. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-10-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ruth Erb Hoffman, Prominent Artist, Dies in Car Crash". The Buffalo News. 1968-05-09. p. 58. Retrieved 2022-10-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hoffman, Ruth Erb. "Study for textile". DMA Collection Online, Dallas Museum of Art. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
External links
edit- Otto John Gaul, "Portrait of Ruth Erb Hoffman", and undated photograph in the collection of the Burchfield Penney Art Center