Wlastimil Hofman

When his professor, Jacek Malczewski, was appointed the Rector of the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts in 1912, Hofman obtained a teaching post there.

[3] In September 1939 Hofman fled from the Nazi invasion, mainly as a result of hiding Czech refugees (including later President, Ludvík Svoboda).

Escaping the German Nazis he and his wife found themselves on the part of the Polish territory invaded by the Soviet Red Army after 17 September 1939.

He reportedly "showed the Polish POWs a lot of compassion and tirelessly painted their portraits on small pieces of cardboard.

According to Hofman's biographical notes, he managed to join the soldiers of the Czechoslovak Legion and with them travelled through Ternopil, Istanbul, Haifa and Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem and Palestine, which is where he spent the remainder of the war.

Wlastimil Hofman died on 6 March 1970 and he and his wife are buried in the parochial cemetery in Szklarska Poręba, next to the Corpus Christi Church, run by the Franciscan Fathers and decorated with pictures and banners painted by Wlastimil Hofman with the painting entitled “Jesus Christ with the Holy Eucharist” in the main altar.