Teacher Guide:
Edward Hopper’s New York
Oct 19, 2022–Mar 5, 2023
Welcome to Edward Hopper’s New York, the first museum exhibition dedicated to Edward Hopper and New York City. This exhibition presents a comprehensive look at Hopper’s art and how the city served as a vital subject, setting, and source of inspiration for the artist.
Hopper had a long history with the Whitney Museum. It began in 1920, when at age thirty-seven, he had his first solo exhibition at the Whitney Studio Club–an association formed by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney to support independent American artists. In recognition of their long standing relationship, Edward Hopper’s wife, the artist Josephine Nivison Hopper, willed nearly 2,500 of his artworks to the Museum following his death in 1967. Today, the Whitney has the largest collection of Hopper’s artworks and archival materials, making the Museum the foremost center for the study of the artist in the world.
During Hopper’s lifetime, New York City underwent tremendous development—skyscrapers reached record-breaking heights, construction sites roared across the five boroughs, and the increasingly diverse population boomed—yet his depictions of New York remained human-scale and largely unpopulated. This teacher guide provides information about the artist and a framework for discussion about his artworks. It offers questions for exploration and suggestions for activities inspired by Hopper’s art and the exhibition’s key themes and concepts.
We hope that you and your students enjoy Edward Hopper’s New York.
For additional resources, please visit the exhibition page.
Edward Hopper, Early Sunday Morning, 1930. Oil on canvas, 35 3/16 × 60 1/4 in. (89.4 × 153 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 31.426. © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
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Edward Hopper, Manhattan Bridge, 1925–26. Watercolor and graphite pencil on paper, 13 15/16 × 19 15/16 in. (35.4 × 50.6 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Josephine N. Hopper Bequest 70.1098. © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper/Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Audio Guide
Edward Hopper's New York
Credits
This Teacher Guide was written by María del Carmen González, Whitney educator, with support from Melissa Robles, Manager of K-12 Initiatives and Youth Learning; Monica Sekaquaptewa, Coordinator of K-12 Initiatives; and Sabrina Satterwhite, intern to K-12 Initiatives.
Generous support for Education Programs, including School and Educator Programs, is provided by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation; the Annenberg Foundation; Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg; Krystyna Doerfler; The Paul & Karen Levy Family Foundation; Steven Tisch; and Laurie M. Tisch.
Major support is provided by Lise and Michael Evans, the Fund for Individual Potential, Ronnie and Michael Kassan, Barry and Mimi Sternlicht, and Burton P. and Judith B. Resnick.
Significant support is provided by Kevin and Rosemary McNeely, Manitou Fund.
Additional support is provided by the Barker Welfare Foundation; Con Edison; Ashley Leeds and Christopher Harland; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; and the Whitney's Education Committee.
Free Guided Student Visits for New York City Public and Charter Schools are endowed by The Allen and Kelli Questrom Foundation.
Edward Hopper's New York is sponsored by
This exhibition is also sponsored by
Generous support is provided by Judy Hart Angelo, Kenneth C. Griffin, and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Major support is provided by the Barbara Haskell American Fellows Legacy Fund; David Bolger; The Brown Foundation, Inc., of Houston; the David Geffen Foundation; and Laurie M. Tisch.
Significant support is provided by Elizabeth Marsteller Gordon.
Additional support is provided by Ann Ames, Jane Carroll, Elissa and Edgar Cullman, the Daniel W. Dietrich II Foundation, and Arlene and Robert Kogod.
This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
New York magazine is the exclusive media sponsor.
