Hopper retrospective

A retrospective of more than 285 works will be on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art from Sept. 23 through Jan. 18. It was organized by Gail Levin, associate curator of the Hopper Collection at the Whitney Museum.

"The exhibition and accompanying book," Ms. Levin says, "will go beyond the mask of Hopper's public image to investigate the authentic identity of the artist and the way his personality informed his art. Drawing upon over 2,000 works bequeathed to the Whitney Museum by Hopper's widow, we are able to present the first comprehensive view of the artist's early development.

"The fascinating and often poignant story of Hopper's long struggle for recognition gives new insight into his later pessimism. A complex man is revealed, introspective and intellectual, yet romantic, illuminating the many levels of meaning in the paintings of his maturity."

"Edward Hopper: The Art and the Artist" comprises more than 150 oil paintings , 35 watercolors, and 100 drawings, many of which have never before been seen.

After presentation in New York, "Edward Hopper: The Art and the Artist" will travel to the Hayward Gallery, London (under the auspices of the Arts Council of Great Britain), Feb. 11-March 29, 1981; the Stedilijk Museum, Amsterdam, April 22-June 17; the Stadtische Kunsthalle, Dusseldorf, July 10-Sept. 6; the Art Institute of Chicago, Oct. 3-Nov. 29; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art , Dec. 16, 1981-Feb. 10,1982.