Page 21 - The Hunt - Spring 2021

WYETH WOULD RATHER KEEP PHOTOGRAPHING LIFE AS IT HAPPENS—IN BLACK AND WHITE. “I HATE COLOR PHOTOS,” SHE SAYS.
Wyeth is as blunt as she is vibrant. And she loves what she does, no matter what she might be doing. Mostly, she loves introducing her family’s work to anyone. “There are people who may be inclined to appreciate Andrew
and Jamie Wyeth’s work and the nature of their work, and they’ll enjoy Vicky’s talks,” says film director Adam Salky, who’s known Wyeth since seventh grade. “But someone not expecting to spend the afternoon in a museum will enjoy themselves, too.”
Wyeth has spoken to prisoners, nursing home residents and schoolchildren. She addressed the 2017 Judicial Conference for the First Circuit Court of Appeals, a presentation attended by Supreme Court justices John Roberts and Stephen Breyer. She understands art’s power and how it can serve as a gateway to discussions of difficult topics. Andrew had a friend who died of alcoholism, and it affected him greatly. Wyeth talks to audiences about that, in an attempt to present addiction’s toll. “If I get through to 20 of 1,000 people I speak to, I’ve done my job,” she says.
Some people might resent being charged with propagating their family legacy. Not Wyeth.
She covets the role and enjoys the opportunity to educate people about her grandfather, his father—famed illustrator N.C. Wyeth—and her uncle, Jamie. She introduces them to others on her terms, not as someone whose life is tied completely to some ancestral mandate. “When you come from a famous family, you can change who you are or be true to yourself,” she says.
“I choose the latter.”
(Clockwise from top) “Andy and Daddy” and “Wooly Andy” by Victoria Wyeth; Victoria with her grandparents, Andrew and Betsy Wyeth.
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COURTESY OF VICTORIA WYETH
COPYRIGHT VICTORIA BROWNING WYETH
COPYRIGHT VICTORIA BROWNING WYETH