Artists and collectors flock to Cape Cod from all across the globe, just to see the sites that Edward Hopper painted. Nearly half a century after his death, new generations continue to be inspired by the area that this great American painter chose as his home.
In my twenty years of running a gallery on Cape Cod, I have met many artists who credit Hopper as an influence while creating in their own distinct styles — choosing their own sites to interpret and expressing their own emotions. But not every visitor is familiar with Hopper’s legacy — just as few tourists are aware that Provincetown, not Plymouth, is where the Pilgrims first set anchor.
Perhaps because of who he was, a man with minimal social interaction who chose his friends carefully and kept his distance from the vibrant arts community we have long treasured here, Hopper’s deep ties to Cape Cod are not as widely acknowledged as they deserve to be.
Every day, on my way home from work, I see the house that Edward and Jo, his wife, rented before they decided to build their home on a dune overlooking Cape Cod Bay. From my loft, I can see the house he built, its great window flooded with northern light. I live surrounded by the sites he painted and the families he brought into his closely guarded circle.
Fortunate as I am to live in this exceptional part of our amazing country, and however much I find myself captivated by his work, what motivated me to launch “After Hopper” are the gifts that — uninsistently, reclusively — he handed down to the artists of today.
Creative people in all fields learn from those who have gone before: while honoring their teachers, they add their own talents and experience, their own selves, and make something new. Acknowledging and ever grateful for Edward Hopper’s influence, I initiated “After Hopper” to celebrate the artists of today who continue to pursue Hopper’s path in their own unique ways.
— Helen Addison