On December 5th, 'East Wind Over Weehawken', the 1934 painting of a deserted street corner in Weehawken, New Jersey sold for $40.5 million at Christie's Auction House. Early estimates called for the painting to fetch $22 to $28 million, the record selling price for a Hopper was $26.9 million for 'Hotel Window' which sold in 2006. The identity of the buyer has not been made public.
Procedes from the sale are going to benefit the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, one of the oldest art museums and schools in the country, which will help to establish a new endowment to purchase more art in the future. The PAFA was founded in 1805 by painter Charles Wilson Peale (who founded Peale's Museum in 1786, which later became the Municipal Museum of Baltimore but unfortunately close in 1997) and sculptor William Rush Notable alum of the academy include Thomas Eakins.
Fun Fact: The location of the painting is at the intersection of 49th Street and Boulevard East in Weehawken, NJ near the Hudson River. The houses have changed quite a bit in the 80 years since the painting was created, but the feeling remains the same.
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