Art enthusiasts who found themselves in New York City, New York, last month were able to step into the world of paintings by American painter Edward Hooper. And we do mean step into.
As part of the “Step into Hopper” exhibition organized by New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art and Meatpacking BID, three of Hopper’s most iconic paintings were recreated at Gansevoort Plaza. This included Nighthawks, which allowed visitors to enter the iconic diner and even get served coffee by a barista.
Then there was Soir Bleu, where visitors could enter a Parisian nightclub from the painting and get a seat alongside a clown.
Finally, Early Sunday Morning offered visitors the opportunity to soak in the stillness of the fronts of small businesses on NYC’s Seventh Avenue.
“Step into Hopper” was organized as part of the celebration of Hopper’s birthday, which came on July 22, 142 years ago. The commemoration also included a cycling ride from the Whitney Museum of American Art to Edward Hopper House in Nyack, where the celebrated artist was born.
“There’s a distinct emotion that comes across when you look at a Hopper painting — even in the ones with people in them, there’s a stillness,” Jeffrey LeFrancois, the executive director of the Meatpacking BID, said.
