James Roy Hopkins (American, 1877-1969)
Untitled (Nude Woman Peering Out Window), 1915
Oil on canvas
17.5 x 14.5 in.; Framed: 24.5 x 20.5 in.
Signed and dated to lower right, “James R. Hopkins, 1915.”

An American Impressionist, A Painter of People

James Roy Hopkins (1877–1969) is increasingly recognized as a vital yet long-overlooked figure in American art, a painter who seamlessly fused the luminosity of French Impressionism with the grounded authenticity of American life. Though celebrated in his own time, Hopkins’s legacy has been largely eclipsed in recent decades. Now, as curators and collectors revisit the deeper narratives of American modernism, his work is being reclaimed for its quietly radical vision. Trained in Paris and shaped by his Ohio roots, Hopkins brought both technical finesse and profound empathy to his subjects—whether Parisian nudes or Appalachian families—always rendering them with dignity, grace, and a painter’s sensitivity to light and truth.

An Artist Ahead of His Time

Hopkins returned to America just before World War I and began one of the most original projects of his career. Between 1915 and 1919, in southeastern Kentucky’s Cumberland Mountains, he created what curators now recognize as a pioneering body of work: The Cumberland Suite.

These paintings, featuring farmers, children, traveling preachers, and domestic life, are rich with psychological depth and empathetic observation. Their importance has only grown over time. Hopkins anticipated the rise of Regionalism and American Scene painting by over a decade. What Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton would later do for the Midwest, Hopkins first achieved in Appalachia; with a painterly sophistication rooted in European training.

**James Roy Hopkins (American, 1877-1969)**
*Seated Nude*
Oil on canvas
17 x 14 in.; Frame: 23 x 20 in.
Signed to lower left, “James R. Hopkins”

Curators and Collectors Are Taking Notice

**James Roy Hopkins (American, 1877-1969)**
*Nude,* c. First Half 20th Century
Oil on canvas
25.5 x 31.5 in.; Frame: 32.5 x 38.5 in.
Signed to lower left, “James R. Hopkins”

After decades of relative obscurity, James R. Hopkins’s work is being reevaluated by institutions and serious collectors alike. In 2017, the Columbus Museum of Art mounted James R. Hopkins: Faces of the Heartland, the first retrospective of his work in 40 years. The exhibition traveled to major regional museums and was accompanied by a scholarly monograph authored by Mark B. Pohlad of DePaul University.

This curatorial reappraisal has ignited collector interest. With a limited body of work, strong provenance, and renewed institutional recognition, Hopkins's paintings are increasingly viewed as critical to understanding the evolution of American art in the early 20th century.

The Enduring Relevance of James R. Hopkins

Hopkins’s legacy lies not only in his sensitive depictions of American life, but in his ability to harmonize academic rigor, European elegance, and a deeply personal engagement with place and people. As museums revisit the narrative of American modernism, James R. Hopkins is finding his rightful place.

Arcadia is pleased to offer a strong selection of works by Hopkins from the prominent collection of Dr. Randal Williams. These paintings speak to the quiet power and emotional clarity that define his best work.