Edward Hopper’s largest exhibition of paintings opens in Madrid

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the National Museum of France Reunion (Réunion des musées nationaux de France) present an exhibition of works by Edward Hopper, which will be shown first in Madrid and then in Paris. The exhibition will unite the largest and most ambitious works of the American artist ever shown in Europe. Canvases for the exhibition are provided by the famous museums of the USA and Europe and various private collections. The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York made the most generous contribution, and the Thissen-Bornemisza Museum holds the largest collection of Hopper works outside the United States.

Edward Hopper - Two Puritans, Oil on canvas 1945, private collection Edward Hopper, Two Puritans, 1945.

Hopper is one of the most famous and highly regarded American artists. Despite this, his works are rarely exhibited. It was with the aim of popularizing the works of the American master that the exposition was organized. In total 73 works are presented, divided into two sections. The first of them includes paintings made during his studies at the Robert Henry Studio at the New York School of the Arts, and covers the period from 1900 to 1924, when features of his style and writing begin to unfold. The second section focuses on the mature work of Hopper, the most frequently repeated themes and motives of his work.

According to experts, modern realism and Americanism, the key attributes of the work of Edward Hopper, make him one of the most complex phenomena of the 20th century. For a long time working as an illustrator, the artist was completely ignored by the general public and critics. His paintings are an eternal portrait of America, without idealization and simplifications. Although the artist painted several landscapes and scenes in the open air, most of his works depict public places - bars, hotels, train stations and trains. These are almost empty spaces, with pronounced contrasts of light and shadow, which emphasize the loneliness and drama of modern life. Engraving and black and white etchings by Edward Hopper occupy a special place at the exhibition.

Anna Sidorova