The Letter (1934): Art, History and Details

The Letter (1934) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Karl Hofer (German, 1878–1955).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Hofer's art is filled with disillusionment and pessimism, expressing his dark vision of modern life through a limited range of themes that the artist repeated obsessively. Born in Karlsruhe, Hofer settled in Berlin in 1913. Condemned by the Nazis as a "degenerate artist," in 1933 he was dismissed from his teaching post. In 1943 Hofer's studio and most of his work were destroyed by bombing.

Object facts

• Title: The Letter
• Date: 1934
• Creator attribution: Karl Hofer (German, 1878–1955)
• Culture: Germany, 20th century
• Type: Painting
• Technique: oil on canvas
• Dimensions: Unframed: 90.7 x 70 cm (35 11/16 x 27 9/16 in.)
• Collection: Mod Euro - Painting 1800-1960
• Department: Modern European Painting and Sculpture
• Accession number: 1939.750

Collection credit

Hinman B. Hurlbut Collection

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.