The Cape Ann Museum has begun the painstaking process of packing up its original downtown campus on Pleasant Street to make way for an historic, $18 million modernization and renovation that will begin in December. During the renovation, the museum will operate from its Museum Green Campus.
On Tuesday, a cherished item in the museum’s permanent collection, “Three Dancing Girls” by Manchester painter Charles Hopkinson was packed up and readied for its own renovation. The oversized oil painting has been prominently hung at the top landing of the museum’s main stairs. Earlier this year CAM announced it had purchased the piece, which had been on loan to the museum since 1997.
Now, before placing the painting into storage, Three Dancing Girls will be shipped to a restoration house for expert care.
“For the Hopkinson, in addition to removing some regular surface grime, the treatment will importantly address some active paint flaking, as notable canvas distortions indicate that structural treatment of the painting is warranted at this time. This is a multi-phased series of treatments including unframing the work and documenting its current condition. By then securing and stabilizing loose and flaking paint with an appropriate adhesive work will then be focused on removing surface dust and accretions,” said Oliver Barker, CAM director. “The work will eventually be given a new stretcher to better support the painting in preparation for returning it to the newly revitalized CAM Galleries in spring 2026.”
Hopkinson was a prolific 20th Century portrait painter who worked with John Singer Sargent, among many others. He graduated from Harvard, then went on to attend the Art Students League in New York and the Académie Julian in Paris. He became a highly successful portrait artist, completing over 350 commissioned portraits between 1920 and 1950.
After years of international travel, Hopkinson returned home and married his second wife, Elinor Curtis. He spent his summers working from the Curtis estate, “Sharksmouth.” Painting by the ocean, he often used family members and the picturesque surrounding landscape as inspiration for his oils and watercolors. Completed in 1915, Three Dancing Girls captures three of his daughters, Harriot, Mary, and Elinor, dancing on the lawn of the Manchester homestead.
Meanwhile, at the Lenox Hotel in Boston this past Sunday afternoon, Vose Galleries and Barridoff’s American Fine Art Auction featured a smaller version of Three Dancing Girls at its auction alongside works by distinguished American artists, including Winslow Homer, William Trost Richards, Jane Peterson, Alex Katz, Wolf Kahn, and many more. Called “Three Dancing Girls (Ladies Chain),” Lot 14 was a smaller version (23” by 25.75” completed on a wood panel) that Hopkinson completed before moving to complete his final piece. After a fierce and exciting battle of bids, it was taken home by a local Cape Ann collector, the highlight of the auction with the afternoon’s highest hammer price.
So nice to know the painting will stay close to its home on Cape Ann.
