Free Talk On Edward Hopper's Blackwell's Island Painting By Roosevelt Island Historical Society May 14 - Christie's To Auction Blackwell's Island Painting May 23 For Estimated $15 To 20 Million

As previously reported via the NY Post:

...An Edward Hopper painting of New York City's Roosevelt Island is coming to auction where it's estimated to sell for up to $20 million....

Edward Hopper's Blackwell's Island Image From MWA

According to Christie's:

Christie’s New York is pleased to announce that the May 23rd American Art sale will be led by the magnificent, large-scale painting, Blackwell’s Island, by Edward Hopper. The work, which has never been offered at auction, has been exhibited at renowned institutions, such as The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Institute. More recently, Blackwell’s Island was included in the first major retrospective of the artist’s work at the Grand Palais in Paris from October 2012 through February 2013. An impressive five feet wide, the work was painted in 1928 and is estimated at $15-20 million.

A native of Nyack, Edward Hopper was drawn to the New York’s East River and used the banks and bridges as his subject several times between 1911 and 1935. Originally known as Hog Island and today known as Roosevelt Island, Blackwell’s Island has a rather notorious history. Its varied architecture and isolation is likely what attracted Hopper to the locale....

More about Edward Hopper's Blackwell's Island painting from Christie's Press Release, audio recording below from Christie's Deputy Chairman Eric Widing



and at a free lecture by the Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS) tomorrow. According to the RIHS:

The announcement that Edward Hopper's painting Blackwell's Island would be auctioned at Christie's on May 23rd has sparked a revival of interest in this work. The painting is the subject of a lecture by Judith Berdy, President, Roosevelt Island Historical Society, in a program sponsored by the Roosevelt Island Historical Society, at the New York Public Library Branch on Roosevelt Island, on Tuesday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m. The painting features the north end of what is now Roosevelt Island; its dark silhouetted buildings includes the Metropolitan Hospital dome and other hospital buildings. The lecture will incorporate period photographs to explore the context of Hopper's 1928 work. Blackwell's Island, owned by a private American collector, has frequently been exhibited at leading museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The work has never been auctioned before. The painting is on view at Christies, 20 Rockefeller Plaza from May 19 to 22, 2013. The event is FREE and open to the public.

Ms. Berdy discussed the Blackwell's Island Painting and other RIHS activities during Public Session of the May Roosevelt Island Residents Association meeting. Here's what she had to say.  Stop on by the RIHS Visitors Kiosk at the Tram Plaza and learn about the interesting history of your neighborhood.