On Saturday, April 27, the Farnsworth’s Art Museum will open a major exhibition entitled Every Picture Tells a Story: N.C. Wyeth Illustrations from the Brandywine River Museum. The exhibition of approximately thirty paintings will run through Sunday, December 29 at the museum’s Wyeth Center.

The exhibition, based on the holdings of the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, is composed of thirty paintings by N. C. Wyeth that span four decades of his work, from early western pictures through Robert Louis Stevenson classics to later illustrations in experimental styles. The paintings were reproduced as illustrations for book and magazine stories and are linked by the concept of narrative that lay behind their creation. The exhibition also includes a selection of books and magazines to enable visitors to see original publications, the size of the illustrations, and the quality of the reproduction processes. This exhibition is organized by Christine Podmaniczky, Associate Curator for the N.C. Wyeth collection at the Brandywine River Museum and author of the N.C. Wyeth catalogue raisonné.

The opening will be celebrated at a members’ preview and reception which will take place on Friday, April 26, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Wyeth Center, on the corner of Union and Grace Street in Rockland. This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of: Richard Gilder and Lois Chiles, Anna Mae and George Twigg III, and an anonymous gift. The primary media sponsor of this exhibition is Maine Home + Design.

In conjunction with this exhibition the Farnsworth will present a four-part lecture series entitled Every Picture Tells a Story, to take place on consecutive Saturday mornings at 10:30 a.m., from May 4 through May 25. The lectures will take place in the museum’s auditorium. On Sunday, July 14, at 1 p.m., the Farnsworth will present a Wyeth Day Lecture with Christine B. Podmaniczky, Associate Curator for N.C. Wyeth Collections at the Brandywine River Museum. The lecture will take place at The Strand Theatre in Rockland, and will be free of charge. On Wednesday, August 7, at 5:30 p.m., the Farnsworth will present A Conversation with Jamie Wyeth on the Art and Life of N.C. Wyeth. The conversation will take place at The Strand Theatre in Rockland. For more information please visit www.farnsworthmuseum.org/education or call the Education Department at 207-596-0949. 

The Farnsworth Art Museum celebrates Maine’s ongoing role in American art. It offers a nationally recognized collection of works from many of America’s greatest artists, with 20,000 square feet of gallery space and over 13,000 works in the collection. The Farnsworth has one of the largest public collections of works by sculptor Louise Nevelson, while its Wyeth Center features works of N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth. The National Register-listed Farnsworth Homestead, the Olson House, a National Historic Landmark, and Julia’s Gallery for Young Artists complete the museum complex. Please visit www.farnsworthmuseum.org for more information on current exhibitions, programs and events.