Rudolf Hess

Rudolf Hess (January 31, 1903 – November 9, 1986) was an American fine art painter, sculptor and art critic, based in Northern California. His work is of the German Expressionist school He attended California School of Fine Arts (CSFA) (now known as the San Francisco Art Institute) in the 1920s. Hess visited artist Diego Rivera in Mexico, in order to write about him and learn more about his process and his most recent mural. This article polarized the art community and prompted artist Ralph Stackpole, who was both a founder of The Argus and a friend of Diego Rivera to write a letter in January 1929 to The Argus editor, in response.

From 1929 to 1968, Hess worked in Sacramento for the California Department of Transportation.

In 1971, Hess served as president of Northern California Arts Inc. (NCA), an arts nonprofit in the Sacramento, California area.

Death and legacy Hess died on November 9, 1986, in Sacramento, California.

Exhibitions

1925 – San Francisco Art Association; 1928 – Oakland Art Gallery; 1935 – San Francisco Museum of Art (SFMA), inaugural exhibition; 1945 – San Francisco Museum of Art (SFMA); 1949 – Crocker Art Museum; 1951 – Crocker Art Museum.