Description
Hans Josef Zimmer (German-American, 1910-1996) was born in Trier, Germany on Feb. 4, 1910. He started painting from an early age on and later taught briefly at the Hindenburg-Realgymnasium in Trier, Germany (now the Humboldt-Gymnasium Trier). He immigrated to the United States in 1928 and settled in Buffalo, NY and studied art at the Albright Art School. He worked as a commercial artist before being employed by Bell Aircraft Corp in 1944.
In 1937, he traveled back to Trier and Saarburg for five weeks to visit family and sketch in both towns, which was in direct defiance of Nazi prohibitions. Because the towns were within the Seigfried line, restrictions against photographic, sketching or painting were posted conspicuously. Zimmer stated, “that his paintings of the two towns within the Siegfried line might have cost him his freedom.” Knowing he might get in trouble, he played dumb to the villagers who pointed out the signs as he began sketching and went on to say, “Although I knew what they were saying, I pretended I didn’t understand the language and they went away shaking their heads.”
Zimmer was a member of the Buffalo Society of Artists and exhibited with them in their annual Thumb Box shows and Annual exhibitions as well as in annual “Western New York Artists” shows. His wife was named Rosalinda and they had one son and he maintained his residence at 72 Woodlawn Ave., then later 206 Woodlawn Ave., Buffalo, NY. From certain sources, Zimmer later moved to Los Angeles where he worked for over 40 years as an artist for the aircraft industry. Zimmer died in Covina near Los Angeles on Oct. 1, 1996. Various sources list his middle name as either Josef or Joseph.
Though his paintings rarely come up at auction, one sold at auction in recent years for $4,200 titled “Steam Engine at a Factory”, which was auctioned by John Moran Auctioneers’ at their “California and American Fine Art Auction” held in October, 2010.
Chronology:
1910- Born, February 4, Trier, Germany.
1928- Immigrated to the United States and settled in Buffalo, NY.
1934- May 4-31, exhibited, group show (First Prize, Senior Nature Sketching Club), “5th Annual Exhibition of Nature Sketching Hobby Clubs”, Central, Hall, Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, NY.
1936- December, exhibited, group show, “29th Annual Thumb-Box Show”, Buffalo Society of Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1937- Exhibited, group show, “4th Annual Exhibit of Work by Western New York Artists”, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1939- December 2-?, exhibited, group show, “32nd Annual Thumb-Box Show [listed as 22nd sic]”, Hans exhibited European scenes, Buffalo Society of Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1940- December 1-31, exhibited, group show, “33nd Annual Thumb-Box Show”, Buffalo Society of Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1941- December, exhibited, group show, “34th Annual Exhibition of Small Paintings (Formerly known as the Thumb-Box Show)”, Buffalo Society of Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1943- April 10, exhibited, group show, “49th Annual Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists”, for the painting “In the Spotlight of the Police”, Hotel Statler, Buffalo, NY. April, Hans donated a painting to help sell bonds during WWII for the Buffalo War Savings Committee, Buffalo, NY.
1944- January 30-February 28, exhibited, group show, “Still Life Exhibit by the Buffalo Society of Artists”, for the painting “Bread and Butter”, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1945- February, exhibited, group show, “Buffalo Society of Artists: Interiors”, Room of Local Art, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. March 31-April 8, exhibited, group show (Price: 2nd Place Honorable Mention), “50th Annual Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists”, for the paintings “Gloucester harbor” and “Winter Sunlight” (Prize), Hotel Statler, Buffalo, NY.
1996- Died, October 1, Covina, CA.
Memberships/Associations: Buffalo Society of Artists, also on hanging committee, Buffalo, NY; Senior Nature Sketching Club, and also on committee, Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, NY.
Prizes/Awards: First Prize (Senior Nature Sketching Club), at the “5th Annual Exhibition of Nature Sketching Hobby Clubs”, held in the Central, Hall, Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, NY, 1934; 2nd Place Honorable Mention, for painting “Winter Sunlight”, at the “50th Annual Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists”, Hotel Statler, Buffalo, NY, 1945.
Source: Askart;
(Written by Mark Strong of Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc., East Aurora, NY)
Reserve: $400.00
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Condition
Used
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20%
HANS JOSEF ZIMMER Rare Tempera painting Cowboy Riding with Wild Horses Exhibited
Estimate $500-$600
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