Edward Hopper (1882-1967). Cover for “Bulletin of the New York Edison Company,” (1906-1907). Transparent and opaque watercolor, and graphite pencil on paper, Sheet: 10 7/16″ x 9/16″ (26.5 x 19.2 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Josephine N. Hopper Bequest 70.1608. ©Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper, licensed by Whitney Museum of American Art. Digital image ©Whitney Museum of American Art.

Stockbridge, MA, July 18, 2014—Gail Levin, Ph.D., the acknowledged authority on American realist painter Edward Hopper, will present a talk about the artist at Norman Rockwell Museum on Thursday, July 24, starting at 5:30 p.m. The evening lecture is presented as part of the series, “Impossible Craft: The Artist’s Biography,” to be held at the Museum during the month of July.

Dr. Levin is Distinguished Professor of Art History, American Studies, and Women’s Studies at The Graduate Center and Baruch College of the City University of New York. Her many books on Edward Hopper include a four-volume catalogue raisonné (1995), “Edward Hopper: An Intimate Biography” (1995), and “Edward Hopper as Illustrator” (1979); her essay on the artist’s early career as a commercial artist appears in the catalogue for Norman Rockwell Museum’s current exhibition, “The Unknown Hopper: Edward Hopper as Illustrator.” Levin’s biography of Hopper is a basic source for all writing on the artist. Her interest in women artists led to a biography of Judy Chicago (2007) and, more recently, Lee Krasner (2011). Her most recent project, “Theresa Bernstein: A Century in Art”, includes a book, website, and touring exhibition and is the product of her collaboration with several scholars, including her doctoral students at the Graduate Center.

Admission to the evening lecture is free for Museum members, or with regular Museum admission. The event is sponsored, in part, by Carl and Eunice Feinberg.

Impossible Craft: The Artist’s Biography
Thursdays July, 5:30 p.m.

So much more than a written account of the series of events that make up a person’s life, a biography is an influential document that can establish legacy and offer insights into a subject’s personality, intentions, and persuasions. Reputation-changing at times, biographies pose a great challenge to their authors, who must balance a broad spectrum of considerations as a writer, researcher, and interpreter of information.

This series of conversations explores the intricacies of this time-honored craft, the challenges that authors face, and the demands of the publishing marketplace today. A book signing and reception will follow. Free with Museum admission.

The Unknown Hopper: Edward Hopper as Illustrator
On view through October 26, 2014

Many noted American modernists have successfully traversed the worlds of fine art and illustration, embracing innovation while satisfying in unique and personal ways the needs and wants of a broad popular audience. “The Unknown Hopper: Edward Hopper as Illustrator” presents a comprehensive study of Edward Hopper’s nearly 20- year illustration career, featuring more than 50 original drawings and paintings by Hopper. These include important works from the Whitney Museum of American Art, through a bequest from the artist’s wife, Josephine N. Hopper; New Britain Museum of American Art; Mead Art Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and other collections.

Attitudes toward art and the crosscurrents of contemporary commercial society during the early to mid twentieth century will be explored in this exhibition, which seeks to provide an integrated understanding of Hopper’s published and personal art.