Ellis Sotheby’s Int. Realty, Edward Hopper House To Host Gala, Live Auction for Local Arts Education

NEW YORK—Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty has teamed up with Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center in Nyack to host its annual fundraiser at the Four Seasons Private Residences New York Downtown in New York City on Oct. 3 to benefit arts education in Hudson Valley public schools.

The event, scheduled from 6:30 to 9 p.m., will feature an open bar and hors d’oeuvres. The Four Seasons Private Residences New York Downtown, located at 30 Park Place in Tribeca, overlooks the historic Woolworth building, Freedom Tower, Ellis Island and Hudson River.

During the last three years, Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty and Edward Hopper House raised approximately $80,000 to benefit arts education. The program has benefited more than 1,000 pupils, encouraging them to expand their artistic analytical skills, become more creative and explore narrative storytelling as it relates to Edward Hopper’s art, home, life experiences and influence.

Special guests will include Kim Conaty, the Steven and Ann Ames curator of drawings and prints at the Whitney Museum of American Art, who will curate the Whitney’s next exhibit about Edward Hopper in 2021. A live auction will be hosted by Auctioneer Christy Williams Coombs, Sotheby’s vice president, museum and corporate art services, with Elizabeth Goodridge, Sotheby’s assistant vice president and specialist in American Art, attending.

Speaking of his firm’s support of Edward Hopper House, Richard Ellis, owner of Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty, said he “believes in the importance of art education, for both the emotional and educational benefits it can provide young adults and for its influence on the way they appreciate not only art, but anything aesthetic for the rest of their lives.”

“Our vision is to build self-esteem in students K-12 in a supportive, creative partnership centered around art and the legacy of Edward Hopper. Funding for arts education has unfortunately been cut back through the years, and we believe this curriculum is important in creating a confident, well-rounded individual,” he added.

The program’s curriculum is focused on the recurrent themes and distinctive aesthetics of Edward Hopper’s work and its place in American art. Led by an artist-in-residence at the school, each program session includes an introductory classroom lesson, a visit to the Edward Hopper House and a classroom lesson following the visit.

The arts education program initially was funded in 2016 with proceeds from a fundraiser sponsored by Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty that benefited Nyack Public Schools, Nanuet School District, Clarkstown Schools, East Ramapo Schools, South Orangetown Middle School and Sleepy Hollow School District.

“The generosity of Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty has allowed the Edward Hopper House to create and sustain a powerful arts education program,” said Jennifer Patton EdD, Edward Hopper House executive director. “Touching the lives and supporting the creativity of over 1,000 students has been made possible by this empowering partnership.”

Ellis added that the event is a “natural fit” for Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty because the company’s culture is built around Sotheby’s Auction House, which showcases objects and art of exceptional quality and trends

Limited tickets are available at $250. For more information, e-mail hopperinthecity@gmail.com.