Andrew Wyeth Centennial

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Andrew Wyeth Centennial
// Gurney Journey

This will be a good summer for fans of Andrew Wyeth's work.

On July 12, to honor what would have been his 100th birthday, The US Postal Service will release a pane of stamps of his artwork, including this slightly cropped version of Christina's World.

There's an exhibit of his original art called "Andrew Wyeth at 100: A Family Remembrance" at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The curator is his granddaughter Victoria, who included some artwork, ephemera, and photos that haven't been seen before.

The Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania is hosting a large exhibition called "Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect," showcasing some of his best known portraits, landscapes, and interiors from Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, where he lived, and from Maine, where he spent his summers.

Along with that exhibit is a catalog published by Yale University Press called Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect. The book is heavy with academic writing, and as one Amazon review put it, "I bought it for the pictures. Who really reads these things?"

For those who want a slim, affordable book with lots of artwork, I recommend the new book by Rizzoli publishers book called Andrew Wyeth: People and Places. This compact book (8 x 7 inches, softcover) features highlights from his seven decade career. After a short biographical introduction, the rest of the book is all his most famous artwork.

Rizzoli has also released a book American Treasures: The Brandywine River Museum of Art featuring the highlights of the Brandywine River Museum, with photos, artwork, and stories about the artistic heritage of the Pennsylvania valley.

If you want a book that gets into Wyeth's thought process, I recommend Andrew Wyeth: A Spoken Self-Portrait, based on extensive interviews with his biographer Richard Meryman. Meryman's definitive biography Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life is also a must read. Wyeth himself picked out Meryman to be his biographer, told him everything, and encouraged him not to spare any of the hard truths.


One of the best video documentaries about Wyeth's life is the one produced by former Python Michael Palin. (Link to YouTube)
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Links
Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum "Andrew Wyeth at 100: A Family Remembrance"
will be on view through September 4, 2017.
Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania: The Brandywine River Museum, "Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect" will be on view through September 17.
Books
Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect
Andrew Wyeth: People and Places
American Treasures: The Brandywine River Museum of Art
Andrew Wyeth: A Spoken Self-Portrait
Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life
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