Edward Hopper: Americanism and Modern Realism

On June 12, 2012, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid, Spain) will present the exhibition Edward Hopper, to be shown first in Madrid then in Paris. It will bring together the largest and most ambitious selection of works by the US artist ever to be shown in Europe, with loans from major museums and institutions including the MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, in addition to various private collections and with a particularly
generous loan from the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. The latter is sending 14 works from the Bequest of Josephine N. Hopper, the artist’s wife. The exhibition has also benefited from the collaboration of the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Within the context of Europe, Hopper is one of the best known and most highly appreciated American painters. Despite this, however, his works have only been seen here in public exhibitions on a limited number of occasions. With the aim of rectifying this situation and of bringing his work to the attention of a wider public, two major cultural institutions of particular importance for the artist and his work have joined forces. The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza houses the most significant collection of Hopper’s works outside the United States, while in the case of the Réunion des musées nationaux, Paris and early 20th-century French painting were key reference points for the start of Hopper’s career.

Americanism and realism were key aspects of Hopper’s work from the outset and his paintings offered a faithful portrait of America at the time, focusing on its most modern aspects but without any element of idealisation and presenting reality in a simplified manner. While Hopper painted some landscapes and outdoor scenes, most of his works are located in public places such as bars, hotels, stations and on trains. These are almost empty settings with pronounced contrasts of light and shade that emphasise the solitude and drama of modern existence.

Date: from June 12 to September 16.
Location: Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Paseo del Prado 8, 28014 Madrid. Spain.
Opening hours: from Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 7pm. Saturdays from 10am to 11pm.

See some of the works by Hopper in the following slideshow: