National Gallery of Art - EXHIBITIONS

Past Exhibitions

Edward Hopper

September 16, 2007–January 21, 2008

Overview: 48 paintings, 34 watercolors, and 12 prints from the National Gallery of Art and other public and private collections were presented in this survey of the career of American artist Edward Hopper. Two of the artist's ledger books on loan from the Whitney Museum of American Art also were on view. The exhibition was arranged chronologically and thematically in seven sections: prints, early work and Gloucester, the city, Maine, Truro, figures, and late work. The exhibition was the first comprehensive survey of the artist's work to be seen outside New York City in more than 25 years.

Lectures were presented on September 16 by exhibition curators Franklin Kelly and Carol Troyen. An audio guide was narrated by National Gallery of Art Director Earl A. Powell III and included commentary by the exhibition curators. Three illustrated talks in October and November examined the relationship between Hopper and the cinema. A family weekend featuring a drama commissioned for grades 3 through 6, Who's in the Hopper, was held in November, and a teacher workshop was presented in December.

Later the Same Evening: An Opera Inspired by Five Paintings of Edward Hopper, by composer John Musto with libretto by Mark Campbell, was performed at the National Gallery of Art on December 2, 2007. The opera was a joint project of the National Gallery of Art, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and the University of Maryland School of Music. It was performed by singers from the Maryland Opera Studio and the National Gallery Orchestra. A discussion with the composer, librettist, and cast followed the performance at the National Gallery. Four additional performances were presented at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in November.

Edward Hopper, a documentary film narrated by actor Steve Martin, was produced by the National Gallery of Art for the exhibition. The film was shown daily throughout the afternoon in the East Building Small Auditorium and once each day on Tuesday and Wednesday in the East Building Auditorium. A short version of the film was shown continuously within the exhibition.

A gigantic exhibition banner for the exhibition was hung on the Verizon Center facing 7th and G Streets NW in Washington DC during October.

The exhibition was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and The Art Institute of Chicago. Curators were Carol Troyen, John Moore Cabot Curator of American Paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Franklin Kelly, senior curator, American and British paintings, National Gallery of Art; and Judith Barter, the Field-McCormick Chair of American Art at The Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition and the podcast were made possible by Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. The film was supported by the HRH Foundation.

Attendance: 365,060 (126 days)

Location: East Building, Upper Level and Mezzanine, Northeast, and Upper Level, North Bridge

Catalogue: Edward Hopper, by Carol Troyen, Judith A. Barter, Janet L. Comey, Elliot Bostwick Davis, and Ellen E. Roberts. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts Publishers, 2007.

Brochure: Edward Hopper. Washington DC: National Gallery of Art, 2007.

Web site: A video podcast of senior curator Franklin Kelly discussing themes in Hopper's work (also available on iTunes); short clips from the exhibition film Edward Hopper. Related Online Resources

Other venues:
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
May 6–August 19, 2007

Art Institute of Chicago
February 16–May 11, 2008
 

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