Welcoming an exciting, newly acquired painting by the renowned and prolific 20th-century American painter, Edward Hopper (1882-1967), is the Gibbes Museum of Art located in Charleston, South Carolina. As the title of the piece suggests, The Battery, Charleston, SC., 1929, depicts the Charleston region, making it quite significant to the museum’s holdings.
“The Gibbes is honored to welcome a work by this iconic American artist into our collection, especially one so closely tied to our beloved city,” says Gibbes president and CEO Angela Mack. “This acquisition not only celebrates the artistic brilliance of Edward Hopper, but it provides us with a timeless portrayal of a historical landscape, deepening our understanding of Charleston’s cultural heritage.”
Edward Hopper (1882–1967), The Battery, Charleston, SC., 1929. Watercolor, pencil and chalk on paper. This museum acquisition is made possible with funds provided by lead donors from The Wayne and Carolyn Jones Foundation with matching donor support provided by individuals, an anonymous donor, and the Katherine M. Huger Endowment.
The inspiration behind the piece stems from the artist’s three-week trip to the charming city with his wife Josephine in 1929— “welcoming the change of scenery from their usual coastal refuge in New England,” says museum representatives. “…The Battery, Charleston, SC., depicts a site visually synonymous with the seaport city, its early colonial history and the start of the American Civil War. This iconic location, the Battery, was no doubt a setting that Hopper was familiar with prior to his sojourn South. His picture presents a vista of the landmark seawall and promenade at the southeast corner of White Point Gardens, with a view of the harbor and Castle Pinckney on Shutes Folly Island in the distance.”
The museum also notes that the tropical scene illustrates the artist’s ability to capture “solitary moments while in deep communion with his immediate environment.”
While exhibited at the Gibbes on two prior occasions, The Battery has also been exhibited both nationally and internationally. Institutions include the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the High Museum of Art and the LWL Museum of Art and Culture in Münster, Germany, to name just a few.
“Among the eleven watercolor paintings completed by Hopper during his visit to Charleston, all but one now grace museum collections, solidifying his enduring legacy in the realm of American art,” says the museum.
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