EDWARD HOPPER (American, 1882-1967). PORTRAIT OF ALTA HILSDALE, circa 1904-14, oil on canvas Estimate: Refer to Fine Art Department Subject to prior sale - Framed, 24 in. x 20 in.
"…I thank you with all my heart for all you have done for me and offerred me…" Alta Hilsdale in a letter to Edward Hopper dated October 14, 1914, 42 Sidney Place, Brooklyn (1)
Sloans & Kenyon Auctioneers and Appraisers is pleased to present at auction an important portrait by Edward Hopper depicting Alta Hilsdale (1884-1948), his romantic interest from 1904-1914. The unveiling of the portrait coincides with the discovery of 58 letters from Hilsdale to Hopper, penned over the course of a decade and remarkable for their candor and familiarity. Indeed, both painting and correspondence comprise an exciting, yet previously unexplored, chapter in the life and career of this iconic American artist.
Presented in half-length and against a loosely described, tawny-colored background, Hopper's depiction of Ms. Hilsdale is a striking, sensitive study. Dressed in a black-and-white, sailor-collar dress and donning a broad-brimmed hat, Hilsdale relaxes into an upholstered chair, the outline of which Hopper has only faintly suggested. Her broad features-highlighted by rosy cheeks, full eyebrows and a sharp nose-are framed by wavy, chestnut-hued hair. With pursed lips and dark, almond-shaped eyes, Hilsdale returns Hopper's gaze with a quiet intimacy.
The relationship between Hilsdale and Hopper is explored in My Dear Mr. Hopper, an anthology of Hilsdale's letters published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name at the Edward Hopper House Art Center in Nyack, New York. By one account, "the exhibit presents the original letters from Hilsdale alongside reproductions of work Hopper created during their relationship [as a means of illustrating] the autobiographical nature of the art and demonstrate how the works from 'the Alta years' influenced later masterworks." (2)
Likewise, Hopper's Portrait of Alta Hilsdale-doubtless created during the decade of their association-constitutes a vital contribution to the rich landscape of Hopper studies. It bears affinities to stylistic and compositional strategies employed by Hopper in the early part of his career and, as the above passage intimates, draws comparisons, in "mood" at least, to his mature works. Solidifying this connection is a September 1914 photograph by Hopper of Hilsdale within a spare Brooklyn, NY, interior. A cherished keepsake of the Hilsdale Family archive, the image prefigures the artist's later exercises in the creation of atmosphere through formal contrasts. (3)
The current lot, a visual testament to "the Alta years", offers another lens through which to view Edward Hopper's professional career and personal relationships. Internationally celebrated, yet notoriously reticent on matters of romance, Hopper, in his Portrait of Alta Hilsdale, left behind a painting that speaks volumes.
PROVENANCE: Private Collection, Hampton, VA
LITERATURE: See Elizabeth Thompson Colleary, ed., My Dear Mr. Hopper (Yale University Press, 2013) for a critical consideration and full-length reprint of the Hilsdale letters.
NOTES 1. Elizabeth Thompson Colleary, ed., My Dear Mr. Hopper (Yale University Press, 2013, p. 91 2. Edward Hopper House Art Center, Nyack-Piermont Patch, April 4, 2013. 3. Hopper's interest in representation by photographic means and, in particular, the intersections between photography, the creation of "atmosphere", and the artist's masterworks of the 1920s and 30s, will be the subject of a forthcoming scholarly article co-authored by Sloans & Kenyon's president, Stephanie A. Kenyon ASA.
Lined; with very minor surface dirt and debris.
UV: Approximately 6 in. vertical line of inpainting right side of dress, and another 1 in. area of inpainting in background left of hat.
