Oil painting -> List of Painters ->Andrew-Wyeth

Andrew Wyeth

Early Life: Andrew-Wyeth one of the best-known of the 20th century. He is sometimes referred to as the "Painter of the People" due to his reputation with the American public. Wyeth's favorite subject is the land and inhabitants around his hometown of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and those near his summer home in Cushing, Maine. His most famous work, and one of the most well-known images in 20th century American art, is Christina's World (1948), in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Career:

Andrew Wyeth is the son of Newell Convers Wyeth, a famous American illustrator and artist. The youngest of five children, Andrew Wyeth was home-tutored and learned art from his father. In 1937 at age twenty, Wyeth had his first one-man exhibition of watercolors at Macbeth Gallery in New York City. The entire record of paintings quickly sold out, and Wyeth's career was launched.

In 1940 Wyeth married Betsy Merle James, whom he had met the year before in Maine. Betsy introduced Wyeth to Christina Olson, who later became the theme of the painting Christina's World. Christina, her brother Alvaro and their weatherbeaten house became an important subject of Wyeth's art for over twenty years. Betsy James Wyeth has played a guiding and sympathetic role in Wyeth's art through his career.