Daniel Catton Rich

That was a considerable sum for a living artist at the time.

The museum's director, Daniel Catton Rich, saw at once that Hopper had caught the mood of the moment.

The painting spoke to a nation at war, deeply shaken and uncertain about what lay ahead.

Since then, Nighthawks has become one of the most widely referenced and imitated paintings in the world, from The Simpsons to countless advertising posters and pop culture images.