This fall, the Whitney Museum of American Art is offering a glimpse into the NYC that renowned painter Edward Hopper portrayed in his works, such as “Automat” (1927), “Early Sunday Morning” (1930), “Room in New York” (1932), “New York Movie” (1939), “Morning Sun” (1952) and others.
“Edward Hopper’s New York,” which is on from October 19 to March 5, 2023, will showcase more than 200 paintings watercolors, prints, and drawings from the Whitney’s collection as well as loans from public and private collections, and archival materials including printed ephemera, correspondence, photographs, and notebooks.
These works will serve as a record of a changing city. For instance, the artist’s panoramic cityscapes will be shown together for the first time in a section called “The Horizontal City.” Five paintings made between 1928 and 1935—”Early Sunday Morning,” “Manhattan Bridge Loop,” “Blackwell’s Island,” “Apartment Houses, East River,” and “Macomb’s Dam Bridge”—all share nearly identical dimensions and format. According to the museum, seen together, they offer invaluable insight into Hopper’s contrarian vision of the growing city at a time when New York was increasingly defined by its relentless skyward development.
“Edward Hopper’s New York offers a remarkable opportunity to celebrate an ever-changing yet timeless city through the work of an American icon,” says Adam D. Weinberg, the Alice Pratt Brown Director of the Whitney Museum. “As New York bounces back after two challenging years of global pandemic, this exhibition reconsiders the life and work of Edward Hopper, serves as a barometer of our times, and introduces a new generation of audiences to Hopper’s work by a new generation of scholars. This exhibition offers fresh perspectives and radical new insights.”