Jamie Wyeth, Rockwell Kent and Monhegan

June 15, 2013 - November 17, 2013
Jamie Wyeth (b. 1946), Jenny Whibley Sings, 2008, oil on board, Jamie and Phyllis Wyeth Collection.

Jamie Wyeth (b. 1946), Jenny Whibley Sings, 2008, oil on board, Jamie and Phyllis Wyeth Collection.

Rockwell Kent (1882-1971), Cranberrying, Monhegan , c. 1907. Oil on canvas. Terra Foundation for American Art, Gift of Mr. Dan Burne Jones, C1983.4 © Courtesy Plattsburgh State Art Museum, State University of New York, USA, Rockwell Kent Collection, Beque

Rockwell Kent (1882-1971), Cranberrying, Monhegan, c. 1907. Oil on canvas. Terra Foundation for American Art, Gift of Mr. Dan Burne Jones, C1983.4 © Courtesy Plattsburgh State Art Museum, State University of New York, USA, Rockwell Kent Collection, Beque

A small island off the coast of Maine, Monhegan has long lured artists to its remote shores, promising dramatic ocean vistas, rugged landscapes, and inspiring scenes of men struggling against the forces of nature. 

This exhibition examined the fascination that the island of Monhegan and its residents held for both Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) and Jamie Wyeth (b. 1946).  Although the two artists never met, their paintings, when viewed together, depict a century’s worth of Monhegan life and landmarks from vantage points most other artists never beheld.  The exhibition included examples of some of Wyeth’s most recent paintings and a number of works from his personal collection of Kent’s coastal views of the Monhegan headlands. Wyeth’s paintings, on the other hand, are often created with his “back to the sea,” as he describes it, focusing on the people who inhabit the island.  The Brandywine River Museum expanded upon the original exhibition, including more than a dozen additional works and debuting a new painting by Wyeth.

The exhibition was organized by the Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, Maine. Funding for the exhibition has been provided by The Crosby Kemper Foundation, Mr. Richard Gilder and Ms. Lois Chiles, Mr. and Mrs Joseph Pyne, John and Anne Surovek, Mr. and Mrs. George Twigg III, and donors who wished to remain anonymous. At the Brandywine River Museum the exhibition was supported by The Davenport Family Foundation Fund for Exhibitions.