American Art Collaborative

“It was a delightful experience to know him, as he is a bubbling conversationalist . . . and he has a brilliant sense of caustic humor.” Malvina Hoffman, 196
Malvina Hoffman modeled this bust of Giovanni Boldini as he approached the end of his life. Boldini was an Italian painter whose portraits were in high demand among the Paris elite. Among his works are portraits of other artists, including American painter James McNeill Whistler and French impressionist Edgar Degas. Boldini was impatient and, according to Hoffman, “was very skeptical as to my ability to do the work quickly enough to keep from irritating him.” This bust portrait was made for the Brooklyn Museum, where it was placed next to Boldini’s painting of Whistler. Hoffman’s portrait pleased the Italian so much that he requested a copy for himself