Malvina Hoffman
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Malvina Hoffman (1887-1966) was an American sculptor who studied under Auguste Rodin in Paris and became known for her lifelike bronze figures. Born in New York City, she traveled extensively and won a major commission from the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago to create the Races of Mankind series: 104 bronze sculptures representing peoples from around the world.
The project took five years and sent Hoffman across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. While the ethnographic assumptions behind the series are now rightly questioned, the sculptures themselves demonstrate technical skill that few of her contemporaries matched. Her other notable works include dance figures inspired by Anna Pavlova.
Sculptures by Malvina Hoffman
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Museums with Malvina Hoffman's Work
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About Malvina Hoffman
Hoffman is best known for the Races of Mankind series (1930-33), 104 bronze sculptures commissioned by Chicago's Field Museum. She also created striking dance figures and studied under Rodin in Paris.
The Field Museum in Chicago still displays selections from the Races of Mankind series. Other works are at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and various American collections.
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