The Andrew Wyeth Foundation for American Art has partnered with the Brandywine River Museum of Art in Chadds Ford to exhibit more than 7,000 pieces of Andrew Wyeth’s art, only 15 percent of which was ever seen by the public, writes Hilarie M. Sheets for the New York Times. 

Before Wyeth’s death in 2009, his wife Betsy set up plans for their estate. She wanted to ensure that the foundation retained full ownership of his art while the Brandywine managed the collection under its roof and at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine.  

With her own death in 2020, work from his career of seven decades can now be displayed. 

“During Andrew’s and Betsy’s lifetimes, they had a somewhat curatorial view of how they liked to share what’s seen,” said Virginia Logan, executive director of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art. “This is a new opportunity, without those restrictions, to really look at things with a fresh eye and expand the reach beyond the Brandywine and the Farnsworth.” 

A new curator employed at both museums will oversee the displayed art, as well as collaborate with other institutions for further exhibitions. 

“A big part of making him relevant is getting people to see the actual work,” said Thomas Padon, director of the Brandywine River Museum of Art. 

Read more about the exhibition in the New York Times.