Hopper’s Chop Suey sets auction record at $91.9 million

A painting by Edward Hopper fetched $91.9 million at Christie’s on Tuesday, a new auction record for the American realist painter and the highest price so far of the week of semiannual sales in New York.

A painting by Edward Hopper fetched $91.9 million at Christie’s on Tuesday, a new auction record for the American realist painter and the highest price so far of the week of semiannual sales in New York. The 1929 Chop Suey, described by Christie’s as “the most iconic Hopper left in private hands”, depicts two women sitting across the table from each other in a Chinese eatery. Estimated at $70 million to $100 million, it was the featured lot of a special evening auction dedicated to the trophies from the collection of Barney Ebsworth, the late luxury travel entrepreneur.

The 1929 Chop Suey, described by Christie’s as “the most iconic Hopper left in private hands”, depicts two women sitting across the table from each other in a Chinese eatery.(EdwardHopper.net)

The 42 lots totaled $318 million, surpassing the low estimate of $258.3 million. Just five works failed to sell; 80% of the buyers were American. More than a dozen artist auction records were established, Christie’s said.

The collection was offered during the New York sales that kicked off on Sunday with more than $1.8 billion of art up for grabs. Auction houses and dealers are gauging buyer appetite against a backdrop of volatile equity markets, and the results so far have been mixed.

Asian buyers were largely absent and many of the top lots met with resistance. Willem de Kooning’s 1954-55 Woman as Landscape, which was estimated at $60 million to $80 million, drew only one, pre-arranged bidder. Still, the final price of $69 million beat the Abstract Expressionist’s previous auction record of $66.3 million, set in 2016. Final prices include buyer’s premium added to the hammer prices; estimates don’t.

Most of the top lots were supported by pre-arranged bids to ensure the works sell. The price for the Hopper reflected a $4 million fee paid to the buyer who was also a third-party guarantor. “Shallow bidding creates opportunities,” said Skarlet Smatana, director of the George Economou Collection in Athens, who was a buyer at the sale but declined to identify what she purchased. “There were a few important opportunities tonight at low estimates.”

Jackson Pollock’s 1950 Composition with Red Strokes fetched $55.4 million against an estimate of $50 million to $70 million. The price didn’t surpass his auction record is $58.4 million from 2013. The buyer was Swiss art dealer Doris Ammann, who also won a wooden sculpture of a hen by Alexander Calder for $8.4 million. Joan Mitchell’s 12 Hawks at 3 O’Clock fetched $14 million, below her auction record of $16.6 million. Ebsworth bought the 10-foot-tall canvas for $310,500 at Christie’s in 1997.

Among the new artist auction records are Arshile Gorky’s Good Afternoon, Mrs. Lincoln, which sold for $14 million and Joseph Stella’s Tree of My Life, which went for $5.9 million. Ebsworth bought the work for $2.2 million at Christie’s in 1986. The 7-foot-tall square canvas depicted an elaborate scene complete with birds, butterflies, and flowers.

Ebsworth, who died in April at 83, founded the Intrav luxury travel agency in 1959 and took it public in 1995. He started Royal Cruise Line in 1972 and Clipper Cruise Line in 1981. In 2007 he reportedly promised 65 works from the collection, including “Chop Suey’ to the Seattle Art Museum, but after his death Christie’s won a group of more than 90 works.

“‘Chop Suey’ is an icon and it belongs in a museum,” said Heinrich zu Hohenlohe, a dealer based in Berlin who attended the auction. “As a dealer I see this as an opportunity, of course. As a citizen of the world, I see it as a cop-out.”

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