Andrew Wyeth

AKA:

America's Painter

Birth Name:

Andrew Newell Wyeth

Birth Date:

July 12, 1917

Birth Place:

Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

Death Date:

January 16, 2009

Place of Death:

1 Hoffman's Mill Road, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

Age:

Cause of Death:

Died in his sleep after a brief illness.

Cemetery Name:

Hathorn Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

Artists

Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009) was a prominent American realist painter, best known for his detailed and emotionally evocative works that captured the rural landscapes and people of Pennsylvania and Maine. Born in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, he was the youngest of five children of famed illustrator N.C. Wyeth, who served as both his teacher and greatest influence. Wyeth gained national recognition in 1948 with his painting Christina’s World, which became one of the most iconic images in American art. Throughout his career, he worked primarily in watercolor and tempera, developing a muted, meticulous style that reflected his introspective nature and deep attachment to his surroundings. Despite his popularity with the public, Wyeth’s work often sparked debate among critics, some praising his technical mastery and emotional depth, while others viewed him as overly nostalgic.

Fun Facts

Wyeth was homeschooled by his parents due to health issues and was primarily taught art by his father, the illustrator N.C. Wyeth.

Wyeth’s most famous painting, “Christina’s World,” was inspired by his neighbor, Anna Christina Olson, who had polio. Betsy James, who later became his wife, served as a model for the figure’s head and torso in “Christina’s World”.

Andrew Wyeth began painting watercolors of the coast and the sea near the family’s summer home in Port Clyde, Maine, which were successfully exhibited at his first showing in 1937. In Chadds Ford he met his neighbor, Helga Testorf, who became the subject of intimate portraits that brought him international public attention when he revealed that he had not told his wife about the 200 plus “Helga” paintings done between 1970 and 1985, many of them full-figure nudes, until he had completed them.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Hathorn Cemetery

Maple Juice Cove

Cushing, Maine, 4563

USA

North America

Grave Location:

Wyeth Family Plot

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery note that there are no gates, office, bathrooms or paved roads. Take the simple dirt road to the end and you will see a cluster of about 20 graves. Artist Andrew Wyeth is buried under a simple headstone with his close friends and owners of the Olsen House, Christina and Alvaro Olson, by his side.