b'Hans Hofmann The City, 1940 Oil on plywood, 7.5 x 8 inches (19 x 20 cm) MSFA: 7639ProvenanceAmeringer McEnery Yohe Gallery, New YorkMorrison Gallery, ConnecticutPrivate Collection, Canada Hans Hofmann (German - American, 18801966) is considered to have preceded and influenced Abstract Expressionism and is known for his bold colour combinations. Hofmann was always evolving in his techniques, and The City can be seen as a precursor to his slab paintings from the 1950s which include allusions to architectural elements. In his book Hofmann (1961), Clement Greenberg says of the artists work: Unlike Matisse, Hofmann has come to require his color to be saturated corporeally as well as optically. The weight and density of his paint-attributes it has even when it is not thickly impastoedcontribute to the presence his pictures have as objects as well as pictures.'