edward hopper's nighthawks recreated as 3D pop-up installation

edward hopper’s nighthawks recreated as 3D pop-up installation
images courtesy of whitney museum of american art

a life-size, 3-dimensional recreation of edward hopper’s ‘nighthawks’ has been installed in the NYC landmark flatiron building’s prow. the pop-up, cut-out style model is created by the whitney museum of american art in new york in celebration of their current exhibit, hopper drawing — a show devoted to the painter’s process which includes some 200 previously unexhibited drawings on paper. the four protagonists from the iconic 1940s diner scene were scaled up to mimic human proportions and their arrangement around the wooden bar perfectly replicates hopper’s original. the distinct architectural elements of the flatiron building — in particular its reflection of the triangular site — was an initial influence for the locale pictured in ‘nighthawks’.

the recreation at the first floor of the flatiron building in new york city
photograph by filip wolak

passers-by look at the pop-up at piece
photograph by filip wolak

 
an installation view of the 3D reimagination at the NYC flatiron prow
photograph by filip wolak

below is hopper’s original ‘nighthawks’, a depiction of four people seated at a diner late at night. the collection of drawings at the whitney museum of art display studies, sketches, and analysis of the painting’s development and process, particularly the artist’s investigation of the figure’s poses and faces.

edward hopper, nighthawks, 1942
oil on canvas, 33 1/8 × 60 in. (84.1 × 152.4 cm)
the art institute of chicago; friends of american art collection
© heirs of josephine n. hopper, licensed by the whitney museum of american art
photography © the art institute of chicago.