Malvina Hoffman

Malvina Cornell Hoffman
Roger Parry, Malvina Hoffman, c. 1920, collection of the Smithsonian Photography Initiative.
Born(1885-06-15)June 15, 1885
New York City, US
DiedJuly 10, 1966(1966-07-10) (aged 81)
New York City, US
Education
Known forSculptures of dancers and "Hall of Man" at the Field Museum of Natural History
Notable work
  • Bacchanale Russe (1917)
  • The Sacrifice (1918) war memorial
  • Friendship of the English Speaking People (1924)
  • Hall of Man sculptures (1930s)
  • International Dance (1939)[1]
SpouseSamuel Bonarios Grimson (1924–1936)

Malvina Cornell Hoffman (June 15, 1885 – July 10, 1966)[a] was an American sculptor and author, well known for her life-size bronze sculptures of people. She also worked in plaster and marble. Hoffman created portrait busts of working-class people and significant individuals. She was particularly known for her sculptures of dancers, such as Anna Pavlova.[1][6] Her sculpture series of culturally diverse people, entitled Hall of the Races of Mankind, was a popular permanent exhibition at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.[7] It was featured at the Century of Progress International Exposition at the Chicago World's Fair of 1933.[8]

She was commissioned to execute commemorative monuments and was awarded many prizes and honors, including a membership to the National Sculpture Society. In 1925, she was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member and became a full Academician in 1931.[9] Many of her portraits of individuals are among the collection of the New York Historical Society. She maintained a salon, a social gathering of artistic and personal acquaintances, at her Sniffen Court studio for many years.[9]

She was highly skilled in foundry techniques, often casting her own works.[8] Hoffman published a definitive work on historical and technical aspects of bronze casting, Sculpture Inside and Out, in 1939.[8][9]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Heller p. 257 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kort p. 95 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Barbara Sicherman; Carol Hurd Green (1980). Notable American Women: The Modern Period: a Biographical Dictionary. Harvard University Press. p. 343. ISBN 978-0-674-62733-8.
  4. ^ Malvina Hoffman, Issued in New York, 1952-1954, Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration, July 1966
  5. ^ Marianne Kinkel (2011). Races of Mankind: The Sculptures of Malvina Hoffman. University of Illinois Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-252-03624-8.
  6. ^ Essays on Women's Artistic and Cultural Contributions 1919–1939. 2009. p. 164.
  7. ^ Field Museum (January 1979). The Legacy of Malvina Hoffman. Vol. 50. Field Museum of Natural History Bulletin. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c Carol Kort; Liz Sonneborn (May 14, 2014). A to Z of American Women in the Visual Arts. Infobase Publishing. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-4381-0791-2.
  9. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Dearinger p. 276 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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