Nighthawks

A classic example of American Realism, this painting depicts four figures in a brightly lit downtown diner late at night, viewed through a large glass window. Framed by a silent, empty city street, its stark light and sense of solitude make it one of the most iconic images in American art.

In 1942, Hopper's New York-based representing gallery, Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries, sold the painting to the Art Institute of Chicago for $3,000, where it remains on view today.