Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Hopper At The Tate Modern
I guess there were others who enjoyed the exhibition.
Maev Kennedy, arts and heritage correspondent
Saturday September 4, 2004
The Guardian
Crowds who flocked to admire some of the loneliest paintings of the 20th century have helped to make the Edward Hopper exhibition at London's Tate Modern one of the gallery's most successful.
The late American painter himself said: "The loneliness thing is overdone." But his trademark desolate figures, in bleak, harshly lit interiors, became some of the most instantly recognisable and popular of the past century.
By the time the exhibition closes tomorrow night, the Tate expects to have sold more than 420,000 tickets - a total beaten only by Matisse-Picasso two years ago.
The gallery has stayed open late every night for weeks to meet the demand.
This was the first major exhibition of his work in Britain for more than 20 years, and there is no Hopper in any British public collection.
Nighthawks and Automat, two of his most famous images of lonely people in late-night diners, were the most popular among more than 284,000 postcards sold at the exhibition. The Tate also sold 2,700 posters of Nighthawks, and 25,500 copies of the catalogue.
Sheena Wagstaff, the curator, said: "We were aware that Hopper's images have always been popular, but the fact that they continue to be so compelling to so many different audiences is remarkable."
PermaLink | 8:24 PM |
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Maev Kennedy, arts and heritage correspondent
Saturday September 4, 2004
The Guardian
Crowds who flocked to admire some of the loneliest paintings of the 20th century have helped to make the Edward Hopper exhibition at London's Tate Modern one of the gallery's most successful.
The late American painter himself said: "The loneliness thing is overdone." But his trademark desolate figures, in bleak, harshly lit interiors, became some of the most instantly recognisable and popular of the past century.
By the time the exhibition closes tomorrow night, the Tate expects to have sold more than 420,000 tickets - a total beaten only by Matisse-Picasso two years ago.
The gallery has stayed open late every night for weeks to meet the demand.
This was the first major exhibition of his work in Britain for more than 20 years, and there is no Hopper in any British public collection.
Nighthawks and Automat, two of his most famous images of lonely people in late-night diners, were the most popular among more than 284,000 postcards sold at the exhibition. The Tate also sold 2,700 posters of Nighthawks, and 25,500 copies of the catalogue.
Sheena Wagstaff, the curator, said: "We were aware that Hopper's images have always been popular, but the fact that they continue to be so compelling to so many different audiences is remarkable."
PermaLink | 8:24 PM |
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