24 Carat Star Time

The above is a flea market find. Despite the fact that I’m an avid fan of antique/flea market shows in 4 countries (from “Flog It!” to “Antiques Roadshow” to “Kitsch und Kunst”), I seldom buy anything at flea markets, only to later regret not having gotten this or that great ‘find’.  This is one of the few times I actually jumped over my own shadow and bought something on impulse.

It turned out to be a signed, limited edition lithograph by a German art professor, Wolf Hoffmann, who taught at the University of the Arts (formerly HdK; now UdK) in Berlin. This lithograph was made in 1959. I have since found several of his works featured on online art sites, including references/pictures to his participation in exhibitions in the USA during his lifetime.

Although Wolf Hoffmann was killed in an automobile accident in 1979,…

I actually found an interview that his wife, the late actress Karin Evans, gave about their life together to the German newspaper, Berliner Morgenpost, in 1998. She talk about the time they spent living together in the artists’ colony at Wilmersdorf, where she lived until the time of her death in 2004. The life of this interesting couple was also briefly described in Karin Evans’ eulogy.

No one really likes the picture, and to be honest. Not even I’m crazy about it. But I think it’s fascinating to have found something by chance one day, followed my impulse to buy it, then uncover information about the artist and his wife online.

The above picture was taken while it hung in my apartment in Dusseldorf. I haven’t hung it in the house yet, but will find a suitable place for it either in the office or somewhere in/near the 3rd floor guest room.