Two New Exhibitions at the Farnsworth Feature Three Generations of Wyeths

Rockland , Maine -- 30 April 2010

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N.C. Wyeth,The Old Continentals (detail) , 1922, oil on canvas, collection of The Hill School, Pottstown, PA, photography courtesy of Brandywine River Museum

(ArtfixDaily.com)

On Saturday, May 15, the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine, will open two major exhibitions at the museum’s Wyeth Center, N.C. Wyeth: Poems of American Patriotism and The Wyeths’ Wyeths. The openings will be celebrated at a Live at Night at the Farnsworth party at the Wyeth Center on Friday, May 14, with a members-only preview and reception from 6 to 7 p.m. followed by a free public party from 7 to 8 p.m. The primary sponsors of Live at Night at the Farnsworth are Bangor Savings Bank and VillageSoup. N.C. Wyeth: Poems of American Patriotism will run through September 26, and The Wyeths’ Wyeths through December 2010. The primary media sponsor for the exhibitions is Down East Magazine, books and online. The exhibition N.C. Wyeth: Poems of American Patriotism is supported in part by the Bass Foundation.

N.C. Wyeth: Poems of American Patriotism
The famed American illustrator N.C. Wyeth was commissioned to do a series of seventeen works to illustrate Brander Matthews’ 1922 book, Poems of American Patriotism, published in New York by Charles Scribner’s Sons. The volume contained some of the country’s best-known verses on iconic episodes in American history such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride,” Oliver Wendell Holmes’ “Grandmother’s Story of Bunker Hill Battle,” John Greenleaf Whittier’s “Barbara Frietchie,” and Walt Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” among many others. With his keen sense of the dramatic moment and masterful technique, Wyeth captured these episodes in the large-scale oil paintings he did as models for the book illustrations. In 1923 the paintings were donated to The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, which has lent them to the Farnsworth for a rare showing outside their long-time home.

The Wyeths’ Wyeths Three generations of Wyeths—N.C., Andrew and Jamie—have together established themselves as one of America’s foremost artist families. For more than a century, their works have graced the walls of museums and galleries, and reproductions of their works have spread their fame and popularity worldwide. As members of a closely knit family, they, along with their siblings, cousins and other family members, have often given pieces of their art to each other. In the process, the Wyeths have assembled a remarkable collection of works by various members of this distinguished artist family. Works range from the most public to the most private; they include major paintings, intimate sketches, Christmas cards, notes and letters. The Wyeth’s Wyeths offers a rare opportunity to see this selection of Wyeth holdings, featuring stellar works by N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth as well as by Andrew’s sister, Henriette Wyeth Hurd.

In association with these exhibitions, on Monday, July 12, 6 p.m., at the Strand Theatre in Rockland there will be a lecture by scholar Henry Adams entitled Andrew Wyeth, King Vidor, and The Big Parade.

About Farnsworth Art Museum:

Celebrating Maine’s Role in American Art, the Farnsworth Art Museum offers a nationally recognized collection of works from many of America’s greatest artists. With 20,000 square feet of gallery space and over 10,000 works in the collection, there is always something new on view at the Farnsworth. The museum houses the nation's second-largest collection of works by premier 20th-century sculptor Louise Nevelson. Its Wyeth Center exclusively features works of Andrew, N.C. and Jamie Wyeth. The Farnsworth's library is also housed in its Rockland, ME, campus. Two historic buildings, the Farnsworth Homestead and the Olson House, complete the museum complex.