Edward Hooper, the realist painter and printmaker from America whose oil paintings have been very popular with avid collectors, has created a new record in the art world. His renowned work October on Cape Cod fetched a record price of $9,602,500 in an online live auction conducted by Christie’s from New York. The auction for American Art was a great success and has created the new record for the most expensive sale online by any international auction house. The oil painting was estimated to fetch between eight and twelve million dollars. Edward Hooper who was born in 1882 and died in 1967 had made this painting in 1946.
Cape Cod Was the Setting of Hooper’s Paintings
The painting that created a record shows a house standing on a deserted road in Cape Cod. He has made several paintings in the same setting. Edward was an equally proficient watercolorist and printmaker in etching. He managed to present his personal vision of modern American life through his works in both urban and rural scenes. ‘Sailing’, In 1911, was his first painting that he was able to sell. He had to struggle for long to establish himself as a serious player in the art world but his works have consistently appreciated even after his death.
1930s & 1940s: Most Productive Period of Hooper’s Life
Edward has created a large portfolio of work over decades. Ironically he gained in stature during the depression as major museums bought his work during the period paying thousands of dollars. The 1930s and 1940s were the most productive period of his working life and his most famous paintings including the October on Cape Cod were made during these two decades. It is one of the masterpieces done by Hooper. The painting in set in autumn and has a very calm appeal. Hooper was a quiet introverted man who expressed himself mostly through his paintings. After his death, his wife bequeathed their joint collection of over three thousand works to the Whitney Museum of American Art.
