Page 10 - The Hunt - Summer 2020

TRIBUTE
Andrew’s Beacon
As far as artistic families go, there are none who’ve left a more indelible mark on the Brandywine Valley than the Wyeths. The late Betsy James Wyeth was no exception. A trailblazer in many ways, she forged paths for local artists. An art collector, benefactor and author, and an integral part of the creation of the Brandywine Valley River Museum of Art, Betsy passed away on April 21, 2020, at the age of 98.
Though not an artist herself (at least not in the traditional sense), Betsy played a great role in American art throughout the 20th century, as well as her husband Andrew’s career. The pair met in Maine in 1939 and shared nearly 70 years together, much of it spent in her husband’s native Chadds Ford, Pa. It was upon meeting Andrew that Betsy took up the role of business manager, helping cement his lasting legacy and that of his family, whose creative roots reach back to the late 1800s and Andrew’s father, N.C. Wyeth.
In those early years of marriage, Betsy compiled and kept track of Andrew’s work. She eventually edited and penned books dedicated to Brandywine Valley artists, including N.C. and Andrew. A documentary later followed.
She didn’t stop there. Through her connection with George Weymouth, Betsy convinced the whip, conservationist and fellow art lover to transform a former gristmill into an art museum. With paintings lent from the renowned Wyeth clan and several others, the Brandywine
River Museum of Art opened in 1971. For decades since, many of Andrew’s works have hung there. Fittingly, Betsy even turned over her late husband’s studio to the museum upon his death, forever memorializing it.
Betsy’s own efforts were, in turn, memorialized by Andrew, who saw her as something of a muse. With an eye for architecture, Betsy restored the Wyeths’ Chadds Ford home and properties in Maine, which made their way into her husband’s paintings. Known for her conservation efforts, Betsy played an integral role in the founding of Up East Inc. in Maine, as well as the Brandywine Conservancy.
As a founding member of the Chadds Ford Historical Society, Betsy worked to ensure the preservation of American art and local history. Together, she and Andrew established the Wyeth Endowment for American Art in 1968. Thanks to Betsy’s varied and meaningful work, the Wyeth legacy will live in our midst for years to come. —Lisa Dukart
PETER ZIMMERMAN ARCHITECTS
ARCHITECTURE . COMPREHENSIVE PROPERTY DESIGN . HISTORIC PRESERVATION WWW.PZARCHITECTS.COM . PHONE: 610-647-6970
8 THE HUNT MAGAZINE summer 2020
PETER RALSTON