Rare Hopper Up For Auction

The first major work by iconic American artist Edward Hopper to be auctioned in more than a decade and a newly rediscovered Kandinsky masterpiece are among the highlights of spring art sales in New York. All told, sales of Impressionist, modern and contemporary works at auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's starting on Tuesday are expected to yield half a billion dollars. While the big-ticket lots - Cezannes, Picassos and Legers - lead the Impressionist and modern sales, it is the contemporary and post-war works that have generated buzz. Some recent contemporary sales have actually topped the Impressionist take - a dynamic unheard of just 10 years ago. The Hopper at Christie's is a 1965 oil-on-canvas "Train Car," his first major piece auctioned since the early 1990s and one of the last in private hands. Estimated at about $15 million, it evokes themes of his seminal works: solitude, moody atmosphere, and awash in saturated light. For the full story - click the title Irish Art