Edward Hopper House Unveils New Collection
of Edward Hopper's Early Years and Memorabilia
The Edward Hopper House has received over 1,000 artifacts and memorabilia of Edward Hopper's family, his early years, and a library of books, articles, papers, and documents from The Arthayer R. Sanborn Hopper Collection Trust. In this newly formed partnership, this rarely-seen collection, to be known as the Sanborn-Hopper Family Archive, was formally announced by Executive Director Jennifer Patton, Ed.D, at an Art Talk with historian Dr. Richard Rabinowitz on July 15, 2017 at the Nyack Public Library.
The unique, meticulously preserved collection consists of juvenilia and other materials from the formative years of Hopper's life and includes original letters, drawings from his school years, the intriguing "TC" (Three Commodores) notebooks, his first art "tools" from his first studio in the attic in Nyack, photographs, original newspaper articles, and other items that allow visitors to experience firsthand how Hopper's childhood and home environment shaped his art.
"The Sanborn partnership preserves the legacy of Hopper and provides deeper insight into Hopper's evolution as an artist, greatly enriching our American heritage," says Patton. "These materials enlarge Hopper's story, inspire our exhibitions, and launch the Edward Hopper Study Center for use by scholars, students, curators and educators. The collection, in every sense, brings Edward Hopper home to Nyack."
Rabinowitz, President of the American History Workshop, author of the just-published Curating America: Journeys Through Storyscapes of the American Past, and a well-recognized authority on museum education notes, "I don't know anywhere else in America where one can still see so acutely how the shapes, colors, and textures of an artist's home and hometown nurtured the development of one of our nation's great artistic careers. We now can trace the path from Hopper's childhood games and schoolwork to art that expresses his deepest aesthetic impulses."
The unique, meticulously preserved collection consists of juvenilia and other materials from the formative years of Hopper's life and includes original letters, drawings from his school years, the intriguing "TC" (Three Commodores) notebooks, his first art "tools" from his first studio in the attic in Nyack, photographs, original newspaper articles, and other items that allow visitors to experience firsthand how Hopper's childhood and home environment shaped his art.
"The Sanborn partnership preserves the legacy of Hopper and provides deeper insight into Hopper's evolution as an artist, greatly enriching our American heritage," says Patton. "These materials enlarge Hopper's story, inspire our exhibitions, and launch the Edward Hopper Study Center for use by scholars, students, curators and educators. The collection, in every sense, brings Edward Hopper home to Nyack."
Rabinowitz, President of the American History Workshop, author of the just-published Curating America: Journeys Through Storyscapes of the American Past, and a well-recognized authority on museum education notes, "I don't know anywhere else in America where one can still see so acutely how the shapes, colors, and textures of an artist's home and hometown nurtured the development of one of our nation's great artistic careers. We now can trace the path from Hopper's childhood games and schoolwork to art that expresses his deepest aesthetic impulses."
