Longnook Valley by Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper
1882-1967 | American

Longnook Valley

Signed “Edward Hopper” (lower right)
Watercolor and pencil on paper

Edward Hopper is unparalleled in his portrayal of the American ethos, capturing landscapes and figures with a command of light and atmosphere that defines his legacy. One of the most important American artists of the modern era, Hopper reached extraordinary heights with Longnook Valley , a radiant landscape painted on his beloved Cape Cod in 1934. Much larger and more vibrant than most of his watercolors, this work is an exceptionally rare treasure of American art.

Depicting a brilliant New England vista on a sunlit autumn day, this watercolor has been regarded as a masterwork since its creation. Beginning in 1935, Longnook Valley has traveled to dozens of major museums around the world—from New York to Milan to Tokyo. It was once part of the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art, where it featured in many of the institution’s most important exhibitions.

The work exemplifies Hopper’s exceptional talent for the challenging medium of watercolor. Layers of delicately applied hues capture the iconic brilliance of fall in New England. In his official ledger, Hopper included a sketch and noted its “vivid color” and “blue sky with grey bird cloud,” showing that he recognized this scene as one of remarkable intensity. A winding road anchors the composition, vanishing into a dramatic band of trees and drawing the viewer inward with the quiet mystery that is quintessential Hopper.

Hopper and his wife first visited Cape Cod in 1930, and the Truro Valley made an immediate and lasting impression. From his studio nestled above the cape, he walked daily to the shoreline, captivated by the landscape’s sweeping forms and luminous light—motifs that became central to his art. The couple returned every summer for the rest of their lives, and Hopper’s paintings of this area remain some of his most coveted works.

A master realist, Hopper captured a rare narrative depth, achieved through precise composition and luminous color, giving even the simplest subjects a profound emotional resonance. He developed an unmistakable visual language defined by honesty and a deep sensitivity to the American experience, and his influence can be felt across generations of artists, filmmakers and writers. Few painters have shaped the visual identity of America as entirely—and as enduringly—as Edward Hopper.

Large-scale watercolors of this caliber are exceptionally rare on the market. Many of Hopper’s finest examples now reside in major American museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Painted 1934

Paper: 20" high x 27 3/4" wide (50.80 x 70.49 cm) Frame: 31 1/2" high x 29" wide x 2" deep (80.01 x 99.06 x 5.08 cm)

View the Dossier

Provenance:
The artist
Josephine N. Hopper, acquired in 1967 by descent from the above
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, acquired in 1970 by bequest from the above
Private Collection, acquired from the above
M.S. Rau, New Orleans

Literature:
Gail Levin, Edward Hopper: A Catalogue Raisonné, New York, 1995, vol. II , no. W-298, p. 267 (illustrated)

Exhibited:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The Thirty-Third Annual Philadelphia Watercolor Exhibition, and the Thirty-Fourth Annual Exhibition of Miniatures, 1935.
New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, Edward Hopper: Selections from the Hopper Bequest, 1971-74, no. 66, p. 55, illustrated, p. 64; this exhibition traveled to: Palm Beach, The Society of the Four Arts; Fort Worth Art Museum; La Jolla Museum of Art; Sacramento, E.B. Crocker Art Gallery; Seattle Art Museum; Kansas City, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery and Atkins Museum of Fine Arts; Richmond, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; Athens, Georgia Museum of Art; Baltimore Museum of Art; Madison, Elvehjem Art Center; Toledo Museum of Art; Fort Lauderdale Museum of the Arts and Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, Downtown Branch, Edward Hopper: Paintings, Prints, Drawings, 1974, n.n., n.p.
Tokyo, Isetan Art Hall, American Painting 1900 - 1940, 1976.
San Jose Museum of Art; Newport, Wales, Newport Museum and Art Gallery; Edinburgh, The Fruitmarket Gallery; Münster, Germany, Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte; Llandudno, Wales, Mostyn Gallery; and Milan, Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea, Edward Hopper: The Formative Years, 1980-81.
Stamford, Whitney Museum of American Art, Fairfield County Branch, Edward Hopper Landscapes, 1986.
Stamford, Whitney Museum of American Art, Fairfield County Branch, Edward Hopper: City, Country, Town: Selections from the Permanent Collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1986-88, n.n., n.p.; this exhibition traveled to: Iowa City, University of Iowa Museum of Art; Scottsdale Center for the Arts; Williamsburg, Muscarelle Museum of Art; Greenville, South Carolina, Greenville County Museum of Art and Charleston, West Virginia, Sunrise Art Museum.
New York, Whitney Museum of American Art and San Jose Museum of Art, American Art: 1900-1940: A History Reconsidered, 1995.