Join ex-Presidential Aid, Reggie Love, as he discusses how Edward Hopper’s Cobb’s Barn celebrates America. The work hung in Obama’s oval office and represented the importance and value of farm states to the president embodying his journey to the White House. Today, we’re celebrating it in our America 250 summer exhibition and sale.
Painted during his earliest summers in South Truro, Cobb’s Barns reflects Edward Hopper’s deep fascination with the unique light and quiet isolation of Cape Cod. The spare structures and rolling dunes capture a distinctly American landscape—one shaped by labor, solitude, and a close relationship between the built and natural worlds.
Devoid of people yet rich with presence, the work evokes a sense of stillness and introspection, echoing the mood of the early 1930s while pointing to a broader narrative of “America as it was.” Its simplified forms and luminous palette reveal Hopper’s ongoing pursuit to translate his most intimate impressions of nature into paint.
Discover 250 Years of American Art & Culture, part of Sotheby’s New York Summer Season, on view from July 1–August 16. Anchored by the landmark exhibition American Views: People & Places, the season coincides with America’s 250th anniversary and explores the rich continuum of American art and culture.
