Andrew Wyeth's 80th birthday

Portland Museum of Art

Portland, Maine

1-207-775-6148 or 1-800-639-4067

http://www.portlandmuseum.org

Andrew Wyeth:

In celebration of Andrew Wyeth's 80th birthday and in recognition of his important contribution

to our cultural community, the museum is organizing a special exhibition, Andrew Wyeth at 80.

Mr. Wyeth is recognized as the reigning American Realist painter working today. The exhibition

will include more than twenty watercolors, drybrushes and temperas painted throughout the

course of his long and distinguished career, beginning in the 1930's. The focus of the exhibition

will be on the artist's work in Maine.

July 12, 1997 marks a significant milestone in the American art world--Andrew Wyeth's 80th birthday. The exhibition, which will span the six decades of his career, will be on view from Mr. Wyeth's birthday in July through October 13, 1997. Andrew Wyeth at 80 will be one component of a state-wide program of events focusing on Andrew Wyeth's life and career.

Andrew Wyeth is recognized as the reigning American Realist painter working today. He is part of an impressive artistic lineage including his father, N.C., and his son, Jamie. All three

generations have divided their time between Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and the coast of Maine. The landscape around the family home in Cushing, Maine is a continual source of inspiration in

Wyeth's work.

Andrew Wyeth at 80 celebrates Wyeth's contributions to American art with more than twenty watercolors, drybrushes, and temperas painted throughout the course of his long and distinguished career, beginning in the 1930s. The exhibiton, which focuses on the artist's work in Maine, will show the full range of his interests by including landscapes, interiors, and portraits.

Works from the Museum's collection provide the core of the exhibition, spanning from Bridge at Martinsville (1939) to Maine Room (1991).

Other works include Lawn Chair, seen above, Master Bedroom (1965), and the majestic tempera River Cove (1958). A selection of paintings centered on the Olson family and their farm will also be featured including a rare, early self-portrait, The Revenant, (1949), showing the artist in the Olson Homestead.

To kick off this exhibition, the Museum will celebrate with a huge birthday party on the evening

of Friday, July 11 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., with free admission for all. In addition, on Thursday,

May 8 at 7 p.m., author Richard Meryman will discuss the intriguing life and work of Andrew

Wyeth, as discussed in his much-heralded biography, Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life.

Richard Meryman is a former Life magazine journalist whose new biography is the result of more

than 30 years of close access to Wyeth and his circle of friends, family, and observers. Tickets are

$10 for Museum members and $15 for non-members, available at the Museum. These events will

contribute to a state-wide celebration as the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine also

celebrates Wyeth's birthday with events and an exhibition of his work.

Above right, Lawn Chair, 1962, drybrush and graphite on paper, 22 x 15 inches, The Joan Whitney payson Collection at the Portland Museum of Art, lent anonymously

Above left, Ravens Grove, 1985, tempera on panel, 31 x 27 5/8 inches, gift of Elizabeth B. Noyce

Right, Fields of Broad Cove, Broad Cove Farm, 1941, watercolor on Arches paper, 29 1/4 x 41 5/8 inches, Portland Museum of Art, gift of Elizabeth Foster Mann in memory oif Maximilian and Elizabeth Dickson Foster

Search for more articles and essays on American art in Resource Library. See America's Distinguished Artists for biographical information on historic artists.

This page was originally published in 1997 in Resource Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for more information.