Hoppen, the London photography gallerist, always has a good story to tell. Among them is one about a dinner he unexpectedly shared with the great syrabite Hunter S Thompson in Aspen. 'He pulled out a gun and shot out a couple of lightbulbs; he didn't disappoint,' says Hoppen.
Although years ago, the encounter eventually led to Hoppen staging a show of Thompson's own photography - personal pictures of home and family - a year after the writer's death in 2005. 'We had 300 to 400 visitors a day', recalls Hoppen. The show was a sell-out, but now one of the prints has come back to him: a sunset-soaked image of Thompson's wife and beloved Doberman, taken in Big Sur in 1961. 'It's an incredible picture,' says Hoppen. 'You can feel the smells, the sounds; it's so nostalgic and complete.' Although not yet priced, it will probably sell in the region of £50,000.