Edward Hopper's Blackwell Island sells for $19.2m

The American masterwork Blackwell Island, by prominent artist Edward Hopper (1882-1967), has sold from a private collection for $19.2m in the US.

The 1928 canvas led Christie's American Art auction, selling just shy of its $20m top estimate.

Edward Hopper auction
Hopper's Blackwell Island. The current Hopper record was achieved by Hotel Window (1955) in 2006. It stands at $26.9m

The sale represents the first time that the canvas, which features a stylised view of the New York island from the banks of the East River, has ever appeared at auction.

The real Blackwell Island was renamed Roosevelt Island in 1971, in honour of President D Roosevelt.

The New York sale (May 24) saw two important works by Hopper cross the block. The second, 1932's Kelly Jenness House, made $4.2m - a 38.5% increase on its $3m high valuation.

The record price for a Hopper at auction stands at $26.9m - it is held by his atmospheric 1955 work Hotel Window.

A 1934 work by populist 20th century American painter Norman Rockwell entitled Starstruck also put in a good performance, bringing $2m.

Norman Rockwell Starstruck
Norman Rockwell’s Starstruck

Starstruck was painted for the September 1934 cover of the Saturday Evening Post and mirrors the emerging importance of American cinema and the stars it spawned during the period.

May has been an important month in terms of art auction.

Christie's staged the world's most successful art sale in auction history on May 15 - a $495m grossing affair which saw works by Jackson Pollock, Roy Lichtenstein and Jean-Michel Basquiat cross the block in quick succession.

The headline-grabbing sale saw Basquiat's Dustheads make $48.8m - toppling the previous $26.4m world record price for the artist at auction.

 If you too are considering investing in art, see the fascinating art collectibles we currently have in stock.

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