Edward Hopper

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Edward Hopper

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Basic data
Art For Sale
Biography
Exhibitions
Awards
Films
Literature
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Basic data

Edward Hopper was an important American painter who became known above all for his atmospheric, realistic depictions of everyday American life and loneliness.

Name: Edward Hopper
Date of birth: July 22, 1882
Place of birth: Nyack, New York, USA
Date of death: May 15, 1967
Place of death: New York City, USA
Nationality: American
Art style: Realism
Known works: “Nighthawks”, “Automat”, “House by the Railroad”
Techniques: Painting, printmaking
Influences: Impressionism, George Bellows, Robert Henri
Similar artists: David Hockney
Exhibitions: Major retrospectives at the Whitney Museum, MoMA, and Art Institute of Chicago
Special features: Hopper's works often convey feelings of isolation and melancholy

Edward Hopper remains a central artist of American realism, whose works are still considered iconic today.

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Edward Hopper was born on July 22, 1882 in Nyack, New York. He grew up in a wealthy, middle-class family that was open to his artistic inclinations. Even as a child, Hopper showed great interest in drawing, especially ships and the landscape around the Hudson River. His parents encouraged him to study art and sent him to the New York School of Art after high school, where he studied under well-known artists such as Robert Henri, a representative of the Ashcan School.

Robert Henri, known for his realistic and often gritty depictions of urban life, had a profound influence on Hopper's artistic path. Henri encouraged his students to paint the “real America” and not to be guided by European artistic traditions. This advice would shape Hopper's career, even though he experimented with the style of European modernism in his early years.

Years of study and first artistic steps

After completing his studies, Hopper undertook three trips to Europe between 1906 and 1910, mainly to Paris. Unlike many of his contemporaries, who were influenced by European avant-garde movements such as Cubism and Fauvism, Hopper remained unimpressed by these new styles. Instead, he developed a deep admiration for the works of the French Impressionists, particularly Edgar Degas and Édouard Manet. Their depictions of modern life, coupled with a keen eye for light and space, had a lasting influence on his own work.

Back home, Hopper initially worked as a commercial illustrator, a profession he pursued until the 1920s, although he found it artistically unsatisfying. At the same time, he painted and took part in smaller exhibitions, but was initially unsuccessful.

Breakthrough and first successes

Hopper's breakthrough came comparatively late. In 1924, he exhibited a series of watercolors at the Rehn Gallery in New York, which were very well received. During this period, he began to concentrate on the themes and motifs that would later become his trademark: the small American town, deserted street scenes, abandoned buildings and solitary figures, often in quiet, introspective moments.

One of the most famous works from this phase is House by the Railroad (1925), a painting of a lonely Victorian house standing by an abandoned railroad track. Symbolizing the isolation and loneliness of modern life, this image reflects Hopper's fascination with American architecture and landscape, which he often depicted as metaphors for human isolation and alienation.

Hopper and the representation of American loneliness

In the 1930s and 1940s, Hopper established himself as one of the leading American realists. His paintings often depict urban scenes in which he masterfully uses light to create emotional tension. Hopper's figures, often alone or in small groups, appear pensive and cut off from their surroundings, making his works striking studies of isolation in modern America.

Probably his most famous work worldwide, Nighthawks (1942), shows a night-time diner scene in which four people sit quietly side by side, separated from each other and lost in their own thoughts. The harsh electric light and the dark, empty street outside reinforce the feeling of loneliness and alienation. Nighthawks becomes an iconic image of American painting and epitomizes Hopper's ability to transform simple, everyday scenes into deeply emotional and psychologically charged compositions.

Later years and artistic development

In the 1950s and 1960s, Hopper continued his exploration of the American landscape and urban life. He often traveled around the USA with his wife Josephine “Jo” Nivison Hopper, who was also an artist. Jo is also his closest confidante and the model for many of his paintings.

Hopper's late work shows an increasing simplification of form and an even stronger emphasis on light and shadow. Works such as Morning Sun (1952) and Second Story Sunlight (1960) focus on the relationship between people and architecture, the play of sunlight and shadow and the solitude of the figures, who often appear lost in their thoughts.

Although his works continue to depict the American scene, they evolve into universal representations of human existence and its inner contradictions. Hopper always remained true to his realistic style, even as the art world became increasingly abstract in the second half of the 20th century.

Legacy and influence

Edward Hopper died in New York City on May 15, 1967. He leaves behind a body of work that is deeply rooted in American culture and at the same time deals with universal themes such as loneliness, isolation and the relationship between man and space. His realistic style and extraordinary ability to express emotions and moods through light and composition influenced not only generations of artists, but also filmmakers and writers.

Hopper's works have a unique place in the history of art. The emotional emptiness of his urban scenes and the quiet moments of contemplation he captures in his landscapes have had a profound influence on popular culture, from films to literature to photography. Today, his paintings are exhibited in the world's most prestigious museums, and his work remains a significant testament to the modern American experience.

Exhibitions

22.10.2022 – 05.03.2023 Edward Hopper’s New York – Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
19.10.2019 – 23.02.2020 Edward Hopper and the American Hotel – Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond.
26.06.2016 – 09.10.2016: Edward Hopper: The Inner and the Outer World of an American Master – Fondation Beyeler, Basel.

Awards

1950 Honorary doctorate from Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
1933 Prize for Painting - Carnegie International Exhibition, Pittsburgh, USA
1924 Logan Medal of the Arts, Art Institute of Chicago

Films

Edward Hopper and the Blank Canvas, documentary, 52 min, Germany/France, 2020.
Hopper: An American Love Story, documentary, Phil Grabsky, 93 min, UK, 2022.
Edward Hopper, documentary, Ron Peck, 90 min, USA, 1981.

Literature

Edward Hopper: An Intimate Biography, Gail Levin, New York, 2007.
Edward Hopper: A Catalogue Raisonné, Gail Levin, Whitney Museum of American Art, 1995.
Edward Hopper: The Art and the Artist, Gail Levin, Norton, 1980.
Edward Hopper’s New York, Kim Conaty, Whitney Museum Publications, 2022.

Collections

USA

New York - Whitney Museum of American Art
Washington D.C. - National Gallery of Art
Chicago - Art Institute of Chicago

France

Paris - Musée d’Orsay

Schwitzerland

Basel - Fondation Beyeler

Weblinks

Whitney Museum of American Art: Edward Hopper Collection