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Fredric Hobbs
- December 30, 1931
- April 25, 2018
- 86 years
About Fredric Hobbs
Fredric Hobbs, 86, American artist and filmmaker.
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Full Biography
|Fredric Hobbs (December 30, 1931 - April 25, 2018) was an American artist and filmmaker. He is known for pioneering an artistic style he termed ART ECO. His work has been showcased at museums and galleries internationally, and his works are part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.
Biography
Fredric Hobbs (full name Charles Fredric Hobbs) was born in Philadelphia on December 30, 1931. He attended the Menlo School in Menlo Park, California and in 1953 earned B.A. in History from Cornell University. After service as a US Air Force Officer in Korea, Hobbs maintained a studio in Madrid where he attended the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. Later in life, his studios were located in San Francisco and Carmel, California.
Since the 1950s, the artist's work has concerned spiritual and environmental consciousness. In 1963, Hobbs created a radical new automobile art called "Parade Sculpture". This concept had its origin in ancient religious processions and self-propelled tableaux. During the 60s, three parade pieces ("Sun Chariot", "Three Thieves", "Trojan Horse") removed art from its museum environment, thereby confronting a mass audience under circumstances of everyday life. Driveable sculpture was exhibited in New York, California and as part of the famous national traveling show entitled "The Highway".
In the early 1970s, Fredric Hobbs pioneered another art form known as ART ECO. ART ECO combines environmental technology, fine art, solar/nomadic architecture, and interactive communications with an ecologically balanced lifestyle.
Hobbs wrote, directed, and produced four films that received distribution: Troika (1969), Roseland (1971), Alabama's Ghost (1973) and Godmonster of Indian Flats (1973). Copies of these films and other videorecordings Hobbs' directed or produced are held by the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and the American Genre Film Archive. These films were in part experimental platforms for Hobbs' other work, for example, Troika is a film about a fictionalized Hobbs attempting to fund and make a film titled Troika, and the titular "godmonster" of Godmonster of Indian Flats was depicted using a sculpture made by Hobbs himself.
In 1978, with Warren Hinckle, Hobbs wrote and illustrated The Richest Place on Earth, a history of Nevada's Comstock Lode in the 1860s and '70s, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. Once an owner of the Silver Dollar Hotel in Virginia City, Nevada, Hobbs had a long and multifaceted relationship with Virginia City and environs. He also wrote and directed a film of the same title the same year, produced by the Virginia city Restoration Corporation.
Hobbs' 1986 acrylic drawing "South Coast Series: Two Currents" is a part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco's permanent collection. It was last exhibited there in 1987.
Hobbs died on April 25, 2018, in Monterey County, California.
Filmography
- Trojan Horse (1969) (writer and director)
- Troika (1969) (writer, director, producer)
- Roseland: A Fable (1970) (writer, director, producer)
- Alabama's Ghost (1972) (writer, director, producer)
- Godmonster of Indian Flats (1973) (writer, director, producer)
- The Richest Place on Earth (1978) (writer and director)
- FASTFUTURE I (1992) and 2 (2001) (director), for KCRB TV
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredric_Hobbs
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 21, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Fredric Hobbs's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Fredric Hobbs born?
- A.San Francisco
- B.New York City
- C.Philadelphiacorrect
- D.Carmel
Fredric Hobbs was born in Philadelphia on December 30, 1931.
Source: Biography section
2.Which university did Fredric Hobbs attend to earn a B.A. in History?
- A.Menlo College
- B.Harvard University
- C.Cornell Universitycorrect
- D.University of California
Fredric Hobbs earned his B.A. in History from Cornell University in 1953.
Source: Biography section
3.What is the name of the artistic style pioneered by Fredric Hobbs in the early 1970s?
- A.Pop Art
- B.Surrealism
- C.ART ECOcorrect
- D.Minimalism
In the early 1970s, Fredric Hobbs pioneered an art form known as ART ECO.
Source: Biography section
4.Which piece of parade sculpture was created by Fredric Hobbs during the 1960s?
- A.Trojan Horsecorrect
- B.Steel Dragon
- C.Sun Dial
- D.Golden Gate
During the 60s, Fredric Hobbs created three parade pieces including 'Sun Chariot', 'Three Thieves', and 'Trojan Horse'.
Source: Biography section
5.Which of these films was written, directed, and produced by Fredric Hobbs?
- A.Comstock Dreams
- B.The Great Gatsby
- C.Silver Dollar
- D.Troikacorrect
Fredric Hobbs wrote, directed, and produced the film Troika in 1969.
Source: Biography section
6.What was the occupation of Fredric Hobbs while in Korea?
- A.War Correspondent
- B.Military Chaplain
- C.Combat Photographer
- D.US Air Force Officercorrect
Fredric Hobbs served as a US Air Force Officer while in Korea.
Source: Biography section
7.With whom did Fredric Hobbs co-author the 1978 book 'The Richest Place on Earth'?
- A.John Steinbeck
- B.Howard Thompson
- C.Warren Hincklecorrect
- D.Arthur Miller
In 1978, with Warren Hinckle, Fredric Hobbs wrote and illustrated the book titled The Richest Place on Earth.
Source: Biography section
8.What business did Fredric Hobbs once own in Virginia City, Nevada?
- A.Nevada Art Gallery
- B.Virginia City Press
- C.Silver Dollar Hotelcorrect
- D.The Comstock Inn
Fredric Hobbs was once an owner of the Silver Dollar Hotel located in Virginia City, Nevada.
Source: Biography section
9.In what county did Fredric Hobbs pass away?
- A.San Francisco County
- B.Los Angeles County
- C.Philadelphia County
- D.Monterey Countycorrect
Fredric Hobbs died on April 25, 2018, in Monterey County, California.
Source: Biography section
10.Which institution holds copies of films directed or produced by Fredric Hobbs?
- A.National Film Board
- B.Library of Congress
- C.Smithsonian Institution
- D.American Genre Film Archivecorrect
Copies of films Fredric Hobbs directed or produced are held by the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and the American Genre Film Archive.
Source: Biography section
11.What was the subject of Fredric Hobbs' 1986 acrylic drawing in the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco's collection?
- A.Virginia City Heyday
- B.South Coast Series: Two Currentscorrect
- C.Alabama's Ghost
- D.Sun Chariot
Fredric Hobbs' 1986 acrylic drawing 'South Coast Series: Two Currents' is part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco's permanent collection.
Source: Biography section
12.What kind of art did Fredric Hobbs create in 1963 that confronted a mass audience in everyday life?
- A.Projection Installation
- B.Digital Sculpture
- C.Parade Sculpturecorrect
- D.Street Mural
In 1963, Fredric Hobbs created a radical new automobile art called 'Parade Sculpture' to confront a mass audience.
Source: Biography section
13.Which television station broadcast the films 'FASTFUTURE I' and '2' directed by Fredric Hobbs?
- A.PBS
- B.CNN
- C.KQED
- D.KCRB TVcorrect
Fredric Hobbs directed FASTFUTURE I (1992) and 2 (2001) for KCRB TV.
Source: Filmography section
14.What is the full name of Fredric Hobbs?
- A.Charles Fredric Hobbscorrect
- B.Fredric James Hobbs
- C.Fredric William Hobbs
- D.Carl Fredric Hobbs
The full name of Fredric Hobbs is Charles Fredric Hobbs.
Source: Biography section
15.What does the Fredric Hobbs art style ART ECO combine?
- A.Graphic design, digital media, and literature
- B.Painting, sculpture, and jazz music
- C.Environmental technology, fine art, and solar architecturecorrect
- D.Urban planning, history, and cinematography
ART ECO combines environmental technology, fine art, solar/nomadic architecture, and interactive communications with an ecologically balanced lifestyle.
Source: Biography section
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