Edward Hopper: Images & Influence

A. H. Blank One Gallery
December 18, 2009 – April 23, 2010

The Des Moines Art Center is proud to host Edward Hopper’s iconic painting Chop Suey (1929), generously on loan courtesy of the Seattle Art Museum and a private collection in Seattle. In celebration of this rare opportunity, Edward Hopper: Images & Influence presents five other works by Hopper alongside a selection of works by later artists whose art reflects Hopper’s enduring influence, all from the Art Center’s permanent collection. Automat (1927), a major highlight of the Des Moines Art Center’s collection, will be prominently featured, as well as work by Richard Diebenkorn and Cindy Sherman, among others.

Edward Hopper: Images & Influence is organized by Laura Burkhalter, associate curator.

Edward Hopper: Images & Influence
Related Programs

Film Series + Commentary

“When I don't feel in the mood for painting, I go to the movies for a week or more. I go on a regular movie binge.” - Edward Hopper

All films will be shown in Levitt Auditorium and are FREE.
Laura Burkhalter, associate curator, will introduce each film.

Sunday, January 17, 1 pm
Shadow of a Doubt, 1943
Alfred Hitchcock, director
108 minutes, rated PG

The paintings of Edward Hopper and the films of Alfred Hitchcock both subscribe to the narrative philosophy of “a story behind every window.” This rich and engaging film, in which evil visits an idyllic American small town, was Hitchcock’s personal favorite amongst his many master works.

Sunday, January 24, 1 pm
Pennies from Heaven, 1981
Herbert Ross, director
108 minutes, Rated R

Starring Steve Martin, Christopher Walken, and Bernadette Peters, this Oscar-nominated film was one of the first to reexamine the musical genre from a postmodern point of view. Visually inspired by Edward Hopper, the film recreates two of his most famous works, Nighthawks (1942) and New York Movie (1939), as well as paintings by other 1930s artists.

Sunday, January 31, 1 pm
The Maltese Falcon, 1941
John Huston, director
101 minutes, Rated PG

Hopper drew inspiration from the many films he saw, and was particularly attracted to the moody atmosphere, dramatic lighting, and morally challenged characters of film noir. In turn, his painting would inspire film directors, creating a provocative dialogue that continues to enrich American visual culture. The Maltese Falcon, a noir classic, stars Humphrey Bogart.

Gallery Talk

Laura Burkhalter, associate curator
Thursday, January 28, 6:30 pm
A. H. Blank One Gallery
FREE Admission

Join Burkhalter as she discusses the artists and works in Edward Hopper: Images & Influence.

Conversations on Art: Patricia Junker

“Tables for Ladies: Edward Hopper and the Modern Woman”
Thursday, March 4, 6:30 pm
Levitt Auditorium
Catalogue signing to follow
FREE Admission, reservations required*

Patricia Junker is the Ann M. Barwick Curator of American Art at the Seattle Art Museum and organizer of the recent exhibition, “Edward Hopper’s Women,” which paired Automat (1927) with the artist’s Chop Suey, (1929). “Tables for Ladies: Edward Hopper and the Modern Woman,” shows how provocative these pictures were in the late 1920s and establishes the pivotal place that they occupy in the development of Hopper’s painting career.

*Reservations for this FREE lecture are required and available exclusively through IowaTIX beginning Monday, February 15, 2010. Reserve your seats at www.IowaTIX.com or by phone at 515.277.3727 (9 am – 5 pm, Monday – Friday).

Talk + Music

“But Oh What Those Five Feet Could Do”: Women in American Songs of the Roaring ‘20s
Michael Lasser, music historian and host of National Public Radio's "Fascinatin' Rhythm"
Thursday, March 11, 7 pm
Levitt Auditorium, FREE admission

Edward Hopper’s urban realism made extraordinary use of city settings to convey a sense of isolation and desolation. Yet a sense of freewheeling city life, especially in New York City, was an essential part of the decade which saw revolutionary changes in attitudes toward love and sex, and toward women. For the first time in American history, pleasure became an end in itself, and leading the way was the flapper. It was also the decade in which New York City became the embodiment of American vitality and optimism—often mindless and carefree, but also electric and liberating. Inspired by the female figures in Hopper’s famous paintings, this program explores women in American songs of the roaring ‘20s.

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