Moebius’ take on Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks” offered as limited edition print

By John Freeman on December 20, 2019

Moebius’ unique take on Edward Hopper’s iconic painting “Nighthawks”.

London’s Illustration Art Gallery is offering a limited edition print of Moebius‘ unique take on Edward Hopper‘s iconic painting “Nighthawks“.

Never previously published, this glorious limited edition Moebius giclée print is limited to just 100 numbered copies and on sale for £250 each and comes complete with certificate of authenticity.

Nighthawks by Edward Hopper (1942)

Nighthawks is a 1942 painting by Edward Hopper that portrays people sitting in a downtown diner late at night. It is Hopper’s most famous work and is one of the most recognisable paintings in American art. Within months of its completion, it was sold to the Art Institute of Chicago for $3000, and has remained there ever since. (If you get a chance to see it, do – it’s fantastic).

Hopper said that Nighthawks was inspired by “a restaurant on New York’s Greenwich Avenue where two streets meet,” but the image – with its carefully constructed composition and lack of narrative – has a timeless, universal quality that transcends its particular locale, that has been homaged, and parodied, by many since it was first painted. These include The Simpsons‘ take on the now iconic image and even a version created in LEGO.

“Nighthawks” homage in The Simpsons episode “Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment” © Twentieth Century Fox

“Nighthawks” meets Star Wars and, possibly, Indiana Jones, in a LEGO reimagining of the painting that started doing the rounds of the web around 2010. Artist unknown

Jean Giraud (aka Moebius) created his version in 1993, for a mixed exhibition paying tribute to Edward Hopper. This brilliant re-interpretation of Nighthawks strikes the perfect balance between reality and fantasy in classic Moebius style.

The high resolution reproduction was produced with the utmost care directly from the original watercolour painting which has remained in private hands ever since the exhibition.

• Buy your limited edition Moebius Nighthawks print direct from the Illustration Art Gallery here

• More about Nighthawks by Edward Hopper here on the Art Institute of Chicago web site

• More about Nighthawks by Edward Hopper here on Edward Hopper.net

• Edward Hopper books on AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.