Page 20 - The Hunt - Spring 2021

18 THE HUNT MAGAZINE
spring 2021
Alot of people would consider a chance to display their art before a grateful audience as a tremendous opportunity. First and foremost, it’s
a chance for others to see how they look at the world—and there may even be a
little money in it.
It’s not so much fun for Victoria Wyeth. “I’m
pretty shy about my photography,” she says. Her trademark energy and drive were
evident in the images in that 2018 gallery show in Philadelphia—even if her passion for the event and the process was low. She simply couldn’t muster the enthusiasm necessary
to sell something that was such an intimate manifestation of herself. “I felt like a hooker,” Wyeth confides.
So much for exhibitions. Andrew Wyeth’s only granddaughter doesn’t need them to
fan her ego, or to give her the sense that she’s providing a modern generational link to her family’s considerable artistic legacy. She’d rather keep photographing life as it happens—in black and white. “I hate color photos,” she says.
Her love of “Andy” is evident when she speaks to audiences at the Brandywine River Museum of Art and venues throughout the country. She discusses his art, his influences and those he inspired. But Wyeth doesn’t approach her lectures as merely an art historian. She’s less concerned about describing the work than she is with introducing the man. “I want people to know how much he loved life,” Wyeth says. “There wasn’t enough time
in the day for him to paint. I’m trying to teach people who he is as a person.”
It’s instructive to learn who Andrew’s grandchild is, too. She’s the daughter of Nicholas Wyeth, Andrew’s oldest son, and his wife, Jane. Both are enmeshed in the art world in New York City. She’s a breast cancer survivor and a psychologist. She’s also divorced with no kids, runs four miles a day near her Philadelphia home, and loves to cook for family and friends. Anyone who meets her gets the impression
that her daily clock could use a few more hours. Her energy level is astounding—simply ask anyone who’s tried to keep up with her during a workout.