Andrew Wyeth’s paintings in tempera and watercolor in response to Allen and Benner islands testify to the ongoing inspiration of this unique place. This talk will share many of the most significant works of art from this creative chapter, now spread across public and private collections nationwide, in relation to the island sites that inspired them. These remarkable creations will shed some light on the artist’s complex creative partnership with Betsy James Wyeth, who designed the buildings and landscapes on the islands in no small part for the purpose of their depiction in paint.
William L. Coleman, Ph.D. is Wyeth Foundation Curator and Director of the Andrew & Betsy Wyeth Study Center, based at the Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pa., with additional oversight of Wyeth Foundation collections at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine. He writes and teaches on the art of the United States, with a particular research focus on landscape painting’s histories. Recent projects include the nationally traveling exhibitions Andrew Wyeth at Kuerner Farm: The Eye of the Earth and Cross Pollination: Heade, Cole, Church, and our Contemporary Moment.