William M. Hoffman, Jr., was born in Blairsville, Pennsylvania and grew up in nearby Latrobe. For over three decades he resided in Philadelphia and South Jersey, where he met and married his wife Bonnie (1970) and raised two sons, Sean and George. He currently resides in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.
Upon graduating Latrobe High School in 1951, Hoffman commuted to Pittsburgh to study commercial art at the Simboli School of Art. On the recommendation of a respected artist friend and a decision to pursue fine art, Hoffman moved to Philadelphia and registered for study at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). Hoffman put himself through college and later graduate school with the help of scholarships, jobs in the art department of the Philadelphia Bulletin and the Philadelphia Department of Recreation, and later as a substitute teacher in the Philadelphia School System. His college years were interrupted by a two year stint in the military which was delayed so he could fulfill a prestigious Cresson Traveling Scholarship Award which included 3 months of travel in Europe. In 1962, Hoffman earned a B.F.A. from the University of Pennsylvania through its coordinated program with the PAFA. Hoffman earned his M.F.A. at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA in 1967.
From 1967 through 2000, Hoffman taught art and art history at Rutgers University, Camden, New Jersey. During his tenure at the university, Hoffman painted over 70 major works featuring the cityscape of Camden. He is a two time recipient of a Visual Arts Fellowship Grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts to execute a series of paintings of historical buildings in Camden and is well represented in the city’s art collection.
Retiring in 2000, Professor Emeritus of Rutgers University, Camden, New Jersey, Hoffman moved back to his Western Pennsylvania roots, and maintained a studio in Ligonier, PA till January of 2020. He now resides in Ephrata, PA where he pursues his passion for painting.
Hoffman’s portrait, landscape, cityscape and figure composition paintings have been exhibited in numerous one-person and group shows nationally and in London, England. His work can be found in many private and corporate collections as well as in the New Jersey State Museum, the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, Pennsylvania and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, Pennsylvania.