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Dan Hoffner, Israeli painter, born in Germany, 1921-2001

Dan Hoffner was born in Leipzig to a middle-class family. He immigrated to the Land of Israel in 1935 with the help of Youth Aliyah, which sent him to Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim. As a teenager, his hand was injured in an explosion. After the accident, he was awarded a scholarship to study at Bezalel School of Arts & Craftsl. One of his most influential teachers was Mordechai Ardon. In the 1940s, he taught at a school for disabled children in Jerusalem and several schools in Tel Aviv. He developed new teaching strategies based on the pedagogic philosophy of the Bauhaus school. He founded a shadow theater that was active in Israel in 1949-1952. In 1947, he was appointed deputy director of the Art Teachers Training College, and became an inspector for the Ministry of Education. In 1964, he became head of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. During his tenure, the school received academic recognition.

Hoffner is mainly known for his abstract drawings.

Education

1938-1941 Bezalel School of Art, Jerusalem, with Mordecai Ardon
Recognition of MA, Ministry of Education

Teaching

School for handicapped children, Jerusalem
Ness Ziona school, Tel Aviv
Tichon Hadash high school, Tel Aviv
1947-55- Art Teachers Training College, Deputy director,
1956-61 , Ministry of Education, Educational inspector
1963-79 Bazalel Academy of Arts & Design, Director

Awards And Prizes

1974 Honorary Doctoral Degree, Rosary College, River Forest, Illinois, USA