Andrew Wyeth

Andrew Wyeth (1917 – 2009) was a realist painter. He is known for his regionalist style, in which he painted the land and people around him both in Pennsylvania and Maine. One of his most celebrated works is his painting “Christina’s World,” presently in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

The youngest of five children, Wyeth suffered from frail health and his father, N.C., homeschooled him. Wyeth’s father was a celebrated illustrator and artist and was responsible for encouraging Wyeth to draw and develop his artistic intuition. Due to his father’s celebrity status, N.C. often brought guests to the house such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Mary Pickford. Wyeth’s mother was Carolyn Bockius Wyeth.

In 1940, Wyeth married Betsy James. James helped manage Wyeth’s career. They had two children together, Nicholas and James.

Wyeth’s works are in major museum collections such as the Museum of Modern art in New York City, the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, among others.

Wyeth received awards and honors such as the National Medal of Arts, the Congressional Gold Medal, a D.F.A. from Bates College, and he was the first painter to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Wyeth passed away on January 16, 2009, in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.