Hopper, Rockwell highlights Sotheby’s auction

Two of the most important figures of the American painting of the 20th century, Edward Hopper and Norman Rockwell, were the main protagonists of the Sotheby’s sale of American Art, November 29th 2006

“Hotel window”, a classic work by Hopper painted in 1955 and depicting a lonely woman in front of a window, reached $26.9 million, setting a new record for the artist at auction. Rockwell’s “Breaking home ties” was sold for $15.4 million against an estimate of only $4-6 million.

In a press note, Dara Mitchell, Director of Sotheby’s American Paintings Department said, “Today’s sale demonstrates an extremely buoyant market for the best American art, with great strength at the high end. The sold total of $82 million was well above the presale estimate of $44/65 million…”