N. C. Wyeth: New Perspectives

Book Synopsis: A fresh and surprising overview of N. C. Wyeth’s career that considers the full range of the multifaceted artist’s oeuvre. N. C. Wyeth (1882–1945) was widely renowned for his iconic images of characters such as King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Robinson Crusoe that were reproduced as illustrations for books and magazines. The patriarch of the Wyeth family, father of Andrew Wyeth and grandfather of Jamie, he was also an artist with a broad purview whose work includes impressionist views of the Pennsylvania countryside and 1930s modernist interpretations of Maine coastal scenes.

The book’s essays look at topics such as Wyeth’s contributions to the visual mythology of the American West, the darker nuances found in his Treasure Island illustrations, and correlations between his illustrations and cinema. Also explored is the way in which Wyeth’s own Chadds Ford properties reflect his conception of home and the role of the artist in American society. Complete with a detailed chronology, this carefully researched study of Wyeth’s life and work provides a long overdue assessment of the remarkable breadth of this complex yet often misunderstood artist.

Published in association with the Brandywine River Museum of Art and the Portland Museum of Art

Exhibition Schedule:

• Brandywine River Museum of Art, Chadds Ford, PA (06/22/19–09/15/19)
• Portland Museum of Art, ME (10/02/19–01/12/20)
• Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati (02/08/20–05/03/20)