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Edward Hopper, “Chop Suey,” 1929, oil on canvas. Collection of Mr and Mrs Barney A. Ebsworth. Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

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EDWARD HOPPER RETROSPECTIVE TO TOUR MAJOR US MUSEUMS w/1 cut

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BOSTON, MASS. — On May 6 the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) will debut “Edward Hopper,” a major retrospective of one of the most enduringly popular American painters of the Twentieth Century. This exhibition will survey the artist’s career, but will focus on his work from about 1925 to 1950 — the period of Hopper’s greatest achievement.

“Edward Hopper” is the first show in more than 25 years to examine all three media in which the artist excelled — paintings, watercolors and prints — in an exhibition of approximately 100 works. Drawn from public and private collections around the country and abroad, “Edward Hopper” will include many paintings now considered icons of Twentieth Century American art, among them, “Nighthawks,” 1942, Art Institute of Chicago; “Early Sunday Morning,” 1930, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and “Automat,” 1927, Des Moines Art Center, Iowa.

It will also present less familiar but equally affecting works by the artist, including his representations of the austere landscapes of Cape Cod, the old-fashioned houses of Gloucester, Mass., and the majestic lighthouses of southern Maine. Organized by the MFA, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and the Art Institute of Chicago, “Edward Hopper” will be on view in the MFA’s Gund Gallery through August 19.

“Edward Hopper,” organized thematically and chronologically, traces the artist’s career from his first successes to his last great, poignant pictures. The exhibition will begin with a small group of works from his student days, introducing themes he would address throughout his career. A gallery dedicated to Hopper’s prints will demonstrate his genius as a printmaker. Masterpieces of printmaking such as “Night Shadows” and “Evening Wind,” both 1921, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, continue to captivate audiences today.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is at 465 Huntington Avenue. For information, www.mfa.org or 617-267-9300.