Edward Hopper Hits Seoul!

A major exhibition by Edward Hopper is underway at Seoul Museum of Art. His works are typically highlighted by dry and yet exquisite palette, people who still look lonely even as they engage in conversations, and lives of the modern people that transcend their time. Don’t miss this great opportunity.

Never has a single artist been paid so much homage in such a wide range of art genres, from a commercial for a major online shopping mall, an American animated sitcom, a film by a maestro, and a feature film that portrays the changing times and history. That artist is none other than Edward Hopper, the late realist painter called ‘America’s favorite painter.’
, hailed as one of the most special and captivating animations in the world, uses 13 of Hopper’s paintings to tell the story of a woman named Shirley. Hopper inspired so many artists and creators, visually and creatively.

Work from Edward Hopper exhibition at Whitney Museum of American Art / Edward Hopper, <Morning Sun> 1952. Oil on canvas, 28 1/8×40 1/8 in. (71.4×101.9cm). Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio: Museum Purchase, Howald Fund. © 2022 Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper/Licensed by Artists Rights

Society (ARS), New York / Courtesy of Whitney Museum of American Art

Exhibition by Artist Who Loved New York

The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York hosted a major Hopper exhibition from last fall to March this year. It was huge in every sense of the word. Whitney possesses some 3,000 pieces by Hopper, including his earlier. The Sanborn-Hopper Archive at the museum houses some 4,000 pieces of the artist’s personal items. It’s also where Hopper held his first solo exhibition. When the museum was called the Whitney Studio Club, Hopper mostly made commercial illustrations, before making it as a painter. Once he got an assignment, Hopper would study restaurants or offices in New York and drew them based on his observations. They would then be displayed all over streets, as prints or posters. Even back then, Hopper had his candid sketches, a diverse palette, and a lonesome and melancholic vibe.

Edward Hopper exhibition at Whitney Museum of American Art / Courtesy of Whitney Museum of American Art

Work from Edward Hopper exhibition at Whitney Museum of American Art / Edward Hopper, <Room in New York>, 1932. Oil on canvas. 29×36in. (73.7×91.4cm). Sheldon Museum of Art, University of Nebraska—Lincoln; Anna R. and Frank M. Hall Charitable Trust. ©2022 Heirs of Josephine N.

The recently-concluded exhibition was titled <Edward Hopper’s New York>. It’s the city he lived in, loved the most and knew the best. And his paintings often portrayed the solitude and loneliness of that very city. Most of his signature works were featured in the exhibition. The show was divided into seven sections: ‘The City in Print,’ ‘The Window,’ The Horizontal City,’ ‘Washington Square,’ ‘Theater,’ ‘Reality and Fantasy’ and ‘Sketching New York.’ They each gave us a glimpse into how Hopper approached his art and how he viewed his objects and landscape.
This large-scale exhibit, the first on Hopper in New York in quite some time, was a massive hit.

Hopper Takes Korea

Hopper is also one of the most popular artists in Korea, Seoul is finally hosting an exhibition featuring the beloved painter. Seoul Museum of Art opened the exhibit on April 20. Following a resounding success with a David Hockney exhibition in 2019, Seoul Museum of Art has been collaborating with international art organizations to showcase works by world-renowned artists. This Hopper show is part of that series. Naturally, the Whitney Museum of American Art is the partner here.

The show in Seoul features some 160 of the most important paintings, drawings and prints in Hopper’s career. The Sanborn-Hopper Archive also sent about 110 personal items for Hopper, including memorabilia from his childhood, books and news articles on the painter.
Hopper may be known as the most American of artists, but this exhibition follows steps he made over the course of his life, from Paris to New York and through New England and Cape Cod. In addition to his Americana pieces such as ‘Self-Portraits,’ ‘Railroad Sunset,’ and ‘Second Story Sunlight,’ you will also see ‘Soir Bleu,’ which Hopper painted while in France.

Edward Hopper, <Cobb>’s Barns and Distant Houses>, 1930–33. Oil on canvas, 74×109.5cm. Whitney

Why We Love Hopper

It may seem as though Hopper had led a life as desolate as his paintings, but he found success at a relatively young age and enjoyed a smooth sailing. At a time when other American artists expressed their admiration for Europe, Hopper captured everything American, be it landscapes or everyday life. And American museums pounced on him. Whitney and the Metropolitan Museum of Art bought Hopper’s paintings. While still in his 50s, the Museum of Modern Art in New York gave Hopper a large-scale retrospective.

Edward Hopper, <Second Story Sunlight>, 1960. Oil on canvas, 102.1×127.3cm. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Friends of the Whitney Museum of American Art 60.54. © 2023 Heirs of Josephine Hopper/Licensed by SACK, Seoul

Edward Hopper, <New York Interior>, circa 1921. Oil on canvas, 61.8×74.6cm. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Josephine N. Hopper Bequest 70.1200. © 2023 Heirs of Josephine Hopper/Licensed by SACK, Seoul

Edward Hopper, <Night Windows>, 1928. Oil on canvas, 73.7×86.4cm. Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA. Gift of John Hay Whitney. 248.1940. Digital image © 2023, The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence

Hopper is just as beloved in Korea. His palette may seem at once dry and exquisite. He portrays people who look lonely even as they engage in conversations. Such dichotomy is what makes Hopper such a popular figure.
Most of large solo exhibitions in Korea have featured Impressionist painters, European artists from the early 20th century, or modern artists who rose to fame after the 1970s. Hopper’s exhibition is different in that it puts the spotlight on a prominent American artist who made a name for himself around the 1940s.

Edward Hopper, <Self-Portrait>, 1925–30. Oil on canvas, 64.5x51.8cm. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Josephine N. Hopper Bequest 70.1165. © 2023 Heirs of Josephine Hopper/Licensed by SACK, Seoul

Hopper’s works, realistic as they are, take us back in the days when Americans lived through the depression and post-war economic boom. People today say they’re lonely even when they’re with someone. And paintings by an American artist from some 80 years ago capture just that kind of sentiment.

Place Seoul Museum of Art, 61 Deoksugung-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Dates 2023. 04. 20~2023. 08. 20
Website Seoul Museum of Art

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May 2023	Editor:Jung Jaewook
Cooperation: SEOUL MUSEUM OF ART