From Publishers Weekly
Octogenarian artist Andrew Wyeth, of Christina's World and beyond, has maintained close friendships within the African-American community of Chadds Ford, Pa., where he was born and has lived since. Andrew Wythe: Close Friends presents more than 125 full-color, full-page reproductions of Wyeth's oil and watercolor portraits of his neighbors and friends, currently touring several small American museums. Wyeth's wife and collaborator, Betsy James Wyeth, provides an introduction, some family photos and commentary on the people and settings found in the work. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Much ink has been expended explaining the symbolism of Wyeth's famous paintings of figures in barren farm fields or inside barely furnished rooms. The artist's wife, Betsy James Wyeth, says in her one-page, six-paragraph introduction that the pictures in this book portray their African American friends, and R. Andrew Maass, who masterminded the exhibition that it complements, in effect says they are to be regarded as portrayals, pure and simple. These drawings, watercolors, and temperas are presented chronologically, accompanied by only the briefest descriptions or recollections, the latter usually the artist's remarks. That Wyeth's depictions are beautiful goes without saying. The duration and depth of his affection for his black neighbors is valuable and heartening, and this book will amply communicate that feeling to the painter's vast audience. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Generally regarded by as "America's Painter," realist Andrew Wyeth is perhaps the most well know of the artistic Wyeth family dynasty which includes his father N. C. Wyeth, sister Henriette Hurd, and son Jamie Wyeth. Although most recent explorations of this artist have focused on his family and on the Helga pictures, this unique publication chronicles seven decades of an under-appreciated yet historically relevant aspect of his relationship to home and community. Andrew Wyeth: Close Friends is the first critical look at a significant body of paintings and works on paper depicting Wyeth's African-American friends and neighbors in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, a quaint village on the Brandywine River where he has lived since birth. Beginning in the 1930s, many of Wyeth's African-American neighbors served as his models both in and out of the studio. Images of over 20 individuals are included, as well as depictions of their homes, farms, and meeting places. Wyeth's own words annotate the reproductions of his paintings and drawings and offer a rare glimpse into the mind of this truly individual artist. In her brief introduction, the artist's wife and collaborator, Betsy James Wyeth, recounts her arrival in Chadds Ford as a young bride and her immediate connection to the community she found there. Andrew Wyeth: Close Friends includes over 100 color reproductions of major tempera and watercolor paintings and numerous black and white images of graphite drawings. Works reproduced are drawn from public and private collections, with a large number from the personal collection of the Wyeths. In addition to a foreword by museum director R. Andrew Maass, the book includes family photographs and facsimiles of personal correspondence.


About the Author
Betsy James Wyeth came to Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania in 1940 as the new bride of painter Andrew Wyeth. She has collaborated with her husband on several exhibitions and publications. The Wyeths divide their time between Chadds Ford and Midcoast, Maine.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Generally regarded as "America's Painter," realist Andrew Wyeth is perhaps the most well known of the artistic Wyeth family dynasty, which includes his father N.C. Wyeth, sister Henriette Hurd, and son Jamie Wyeth. Although most recent explorations of this artist have focused on his family and on the Helga pictures, this unique publication chronicles seven decades of an underappreciated yet historically relevant aspect of his relationship to home and community. Andrew Wyeth: Close Friends is the first critical look at a significant body of paintings and works on paper depicting Wyeth's African-American friends and neighbors in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, a quaint village on the Brandywine River, where he has lived since birth." "Andrew Wyeth: Close Friends includes over 100 color reproductions of major tempera and watercolor paintings and numerous black-and-white images of graphite drawings. Works reproduced are drawn from public and private collections, with a large number from the personal collection of the Wyeths. In addition to a foreword by Museum Director R. Andrew Maass, the book includes family photographs and facsimiles of personal correspondence."--BOOK JACKET.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Octogenarian artist Andrew Wyeth, of Christina's World and beyond, has maintained close friendships within the African-American community of Chadds Ford, Pa., where he was born and has lived since. Andrew Wythe: Close Friends presents more than 125 full-color, full-page reproductions of Wyeth's oil and watercolor portraits of his neighbors and friends, currently touring several small American museums. Wyeth's wife and collaborator, Betsy James Wyeth, provides an introduction, some family photos and commentary on the people and settings found in the work. (Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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