Oil on canvas, framed. Featuring an abstract expressionist composition. Signed and attr. Hans Hofmann (German, 1880-1966) on the lower right corner. 59.5 x 44 cm (23.4 x 17.3 inches). Frame size: 84 x 68 cm (33.1 x 26.8 inches). Hans Hofmann began painting in Paris, where he worked alongside such titans of European Modernism as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Fernand Leger, and Henri Matisse. His best-known early paintings combine Cubist structure with Fauvist color, as in Untitled (1943). Although he would eventually be considered one of the preeminent Abstract Expressionists, having relocated to New York in 1932, Hofmann’s primary interest was in pictorial phenomena: the illusion of three-dimensional space, composition, and the optical effects of color.  PROVENANCE: Southern Ontario estate

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By [Artist Name]: In our opinion, the work is by the artist.

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In the manner of [Artist Name]: In our opinion, the work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

After [Artist Name]: In our opinion, the work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

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Follower of [Artist Name]: In our opinion, a work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

American, 19th century: In our opinion, this work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).

Bears signature: In our opinion, the signature on the artwork may be spurious.

Apocryphal: Of doubtful authenticity.