Farnsworth Art Museum gifted early Andrew Wyeth oil painting

The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland main announced a significant addition to its collection on November 19, 2024: Spring Landscape at Kuerners, a captivating oil painting by Andrew Wyeth, created circa 1934. This remarkable acquisition, crafted during Wyeth’s early formative years as he embarked on his artistic journey, was made possible by philanthropists Sasha and Edward P. Bass of Fort Worth, Texas, who have deep ties to New England and a longstanding appreciation for Wyeth’s work.

“This acquisition enriches the Farnsworth’s narrative of Andrew Wyeth, allowing the museum to tell a fuller story of the artist, beginning at a remarkably young age,” Christopher J. Brownawell, Executive Director of the Farnsworth, said. “This painting invites visitors to explore the early inspirations that shaped Wyeth’s legendary career.”

Spring Landscape at Kuerners showcases one of Wyeth’s most beloved subjects: the Kuerner farm in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.

Wyeth reminisced about the farm, saying, “Some of my earliest watercolors were done there. I had an urge to paint it when I was about ten years old. It never became a conscious effort; then, all of a sudden, I’ll have a strong compulsion to go back.”

Completed around the age of 20, this painting reflects the profound influence of Wyeth’s father, the celebrated illustrator N.C. Wyeth.

“We are very fortunate to have found this remarkable Andrew Wyeth painting and to have had the opportunity to facilitate the Farnsworth acquiring it,” Edward Bass said.  “Bringing it into the Farnsworth’s Wyeth collection adds one more thread in the multigenerational tale of this remarkable family of true American artists.”

The Basses are passionate art patrons and dedicated advocates for conservation and the environment. Edward P. Bass has played pivotal roles in various initiatives, including the rebuilding and expansion of the Peabody Museum at Yale. He is the director emeritus of the World Wildlife Fund. He also co-founded the transformative Biosphere 2 project in Arizona, and his contributions to urban revitalization in Fort Worth have received national acclaim.

The unveiling of Spring Landscape at Kuerners is poised to be a highlight of the upcoming exhibition Home Places: Andrew Wyeth in Chadds Ford, running from April 5 to October 19, 2025. This exhibition will spotlight Wyeth’s enduring fascination with a small group of historic homes in his birthplace, revealing how he found beauty and meaning in the weathered structures often overlooked amid gentrification.

As Wyeth eloquently stated, “You can be in a place for years and years and not see something, and then when it dawns, all sorts of nuggets of richness start popping all over the place.”

ABOUT THE FARNSWORTH ART MUSEUM

Named by the Boston Globe as one of the finest small museums in the country, the Farnsworth Art Museum offers a nationally recognized collection of works from many of America’s greatest artists. It is open year-round as the only museum dedicated solely to American and Maine-inspired art. Through its remarkable collection of more than 15,000 works, inventive exhibitions, wide-ranging intellectual resources, and energetic educational programming, visitors from around the world gain a deep appreciation of the ongoing story of Maine’s role in American art. More information about the museum may be found at www.farnsworthmuseum.org.