One-of-a-kind exhibit of Wyeth family art on display at the KIA
It’s rare to find a family of artists such as the Wyeths and perhaps just as rare to find a collection of their work in a museum the size of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, but that did not daunt the museum’s staff.
“The Wyeths: America’s Artists” is an exhibition more than two years in the making. More than 90 works, including oil paintings, water colors and drawing, have been collected by Vicki Wright, director of exhibitions and collections and the exhibition staff. They spent countless hours determining which artists to feature and choosing the works they would like to borrow for the show.
Pieces that can be seen in the exhibition are on loan from the Farnsworth Art Museum, Brandywine River Museum, Terra Foundation for American Art and three private lenders.
The exhibit is exclusive to the KIA and will not be traveling.
“Even if you have seen a Wyeth show before, you haven’t seen it like this,” says Farrell Howe, of the KIA. “Not only has the KIA included the works of two of the Wyeth daughters, Henriette Wyeth-Hurd and Carolyn Wyeth, who are rarely, if ever included in any Wyeth exhibition, we have also included photographs of the Wyeth family taken by famed photographer Peter Ralston.”
Ralston is a close personal friend of the Wyeth family and has photographed them for decades.
The exhibit includes works by three generations of artists in the Wyeth family: N.C. Wyeth, his children Henriette Wyeth-Hurd, Carolyn Wyeth and Andrew Wyeth, and Andrew’s son Jamie Wyeth. All have explored the people and landscapes around Chadd’s Ford, Pennsylvania, where N.C. Wyeth established the family’s home, and Cushing, Maine, where N.C. purchased a summer home.
In coordination with the exhibit, the KIA will offer lectures, films, Sunday tours, family activities and senior events. Admission to the exhibit is $8.
The exhibition, which continues through April 17 is sponsored by the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation and the Tyler Little Family Foundation.
Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Farrell Howe, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
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