A fight to preserve Edward Hopper's landscape

15 April 2010

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Edward Hopper, Gas, 1940. Oil on canvas, 26-1/4 x 40-1/4 inches. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund.

A Massachusetts land court judge has ordered construction to cease on a large house that neighbors say spoils the Cape Cod coastline views that inspired American painter Edward Hopper.

Property owners near the planned 8,333-sq.-ft. mansion, assessed at $4.5 million, instigated a lawsuit when their scenic views, famously captured by Hopper, became threatened. They also say rare animals and plants are at risk.

Hopper painted from a home-studio now owned by a New Jersey family who are among the neighbors with the current lawsuit.

The owners of the former Hopper house announced last fall their plans to permanently preserve the house and its 7.6 acres of land through state-approved deed restrictions. However, the home would not be open to the public.

In other Hopper news, a 1920s gas station that Hopper decpited in his famous painting "Gas" is also under contention. According to the Boston Globe, the Cape Cod National Seashore wants to tear down the crumbling building for safety reasons, while the Massachusetts Historical Commission insists the site is a rare example of the iconic gas stations that inspired Hopper’s art.

Read more at Cape Cod Times

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