'An American Dynasty: Three Generations of Wyeth' Exhibition Presents Major Works by Andrew Wyeth, His Father and Son

JACKSON, Wyo., May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- A seminal exhibition of the work of Andrew Wyeth, his father N.C. Wyeth, and his son James Wyeth, opens in Jackson, Wyoming, on August 21, 2010.  Titled "An American Dynasty: Three Generations of Wyeth," the exhibition is a long-overdue survey of the legendary American artistic family and includes some 50 temperas, dry brushes and watercolors.  It is organized by and displayed at the newly opened Heather James Fine Art in Jackson, a sister gallery to three Southern California galleries owned by James Carona and Heather Sacre.  Officially opening to the public on August 21, 2010, this inaugural exhibition ends on September 30, 2010.  An illustrated catalogue with a foreword by acclaimed critic Robert Hughes will be published and available for the public.

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"We are pleased to be able to organize a show of major works by Andrew Wyeth, his father N. C. Wyeth, and his son Jamie," says Carona.  "The Wyeths are genuine American icons and this exhibition will be on par with a museum presentation.  Heather and I also are excited to expand the Heather James gallery vision into such an amazing space and community.  Jackson has established itself as a significant destination arts community.  We see this as a perfect opportunity to merge our love for the natural world and all that embodies the Jackson lifestyle with our passion for art."

Continuing his work with the Heather James team in Jackson is internationally acclaimed, Los Angeles-based curator Chip Tom.  Tours, lectures and other forms of public programming will be an important component of the gallery's activity.

As an artist, Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) was deeply interested in the notion of survival in the face of hostile elements, historical change, and natural decay.  Only his uniquely American relationship with the environment, its vast natural beauty and introspective quietude could have given fruit to "Christina's World," the artist's greatest oeuvre and America's greatest mid-century representational painting.  Another great achievement is the artist's so-called "Helga Pictures," a series depicting the model Helga Testorf, which Wyeth secretly executed over the course of 15 years.  Many of these watercolors and dry brushes, amongst Wyeth's best works on paper, will be on view at Heather James Fine Art, Jackson.

Also wonderfully represented in the Heather James exhibition is Andrew's renowned father, N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945), with whom Andrew studied in his youth, and whose variety of illustration styles and dexterity of execution is enjoying a much-deserved revival of attention.  

Perpetuating his father and grandfather's interpretations of man's condition and, like them, painting nearly exclusively in Maine and Pennsylvania, James Wyeth (born, 1946, and known as "Jamie") imbues his portraiture with a certain melancholia.  Still, Jamie's portrait output adheres to nature as the ultimate source of man's endurance.

"An American Dynasty: Three Generations of Wyeth" at Heather James Fine Art in Jackson, Wyoming, is a resounding generational statement of the American experience in which rugged individualism and Manifest Destiny are tempered by environmental reverence and an enlightened humanism.

Heather James Fine Art, Jackson opened April 1, 2010, at 172 Center Street, Suite 101, Jackson, Wyoming, and will hold its grand opening August 21, 2010. For more information about the gallery and upcoming exhibitions, visit our website www.heatherjames.com or call Lyndsay McCandless at 307-200-6090.

SOURCE Heather James Fine Art