John Keats
Date1957
Mediummarble
Dimensions17 1/4 × 13 1/2 × 9 inches (43.8 × 34.3 × 22.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Charles Lamson Hoffman Family.
Object number1986.13
Copyright© Estate of Malvina Cornell Hoffman.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextThe daughter of an accomplished musician, Malvina Hoffman was encouraged to take interest in the arts throughout her childhood in New York City. Hoffman studied painting and drawing at the Women’s School of Applied Design and later at the Art Students League, but later turned to sculpture as her preferred medium. Inspired by an Auguste Rodin sculpture she saw in a friend’s home, Hoffman sought out the great sculptor in Paris and studied with him for a year. Rodin’s influence on Hoffman is apparent in John Keats in the way the smooth features of the poet emerge from the rough marble, as if he is being born from the stone. Hoffman’s ability to capture both the features and personality of an individual has been celebrated, and is apparent in the Telfair’s John Keats.