Trip to Denver: The Wyeth Exhibt

After "the business" was completed, we went to the Denver Art Museum's exhibition of arguably the greatest American family of artists, father and son- Andrew and Jamie Wyeth...

So popular is the Wyeth legacy, started first by "the grandfather" N.C, Wyeth...

 whose was one of our great American illustrators of the Golden Age and whose "prop" boots were on display...

The DAM show, which when I was a kid and went Denver on field trips to the Art Museum, would love to keep the little badges that proved we had paid the admission, cause it spelled a "naughty" world. Sadly, this trip I only got a sticker that spelled out the full name, but I digress.

This show featured N.C. son, Andrew Wyeth ( 1917-2009).....

know for his muted palette of browns and earth tones,  his studies of the local inhabitants of New England including the Helga series...

and the Olson family. His most famous painting that of Christina's World, gazing up through the grass of the Olson's farm. The finished painting was not at the DAM, but one of his preliminary sketches was, showing the energy of the idea, that is often lost when the idea is worked out.

We interrupt this review of a great show to highlight something else, who goes to museums in the middle of the day, middle of the week? 

Tourist and well, lots and lots of "older ladies", who made the day interesting. First, they are concerned with everything, their business and others. They first took notice of us, because the "Member's line" was rather long, cause they all come mid day, mid week and we were the only ones in the "other line" and they were rather vocal about that. Then, once our tickets were bought and we were waiting in the rope queue, they were rather upset we did not want to listen to the audio commentary, one reaching over the rope to stop us from going in, unguided to be washed this way and that in the exhibit hall. 

My husband dubbed them the "audio zombies" and they did seem to zombie walk from one painting to the next and then stand motionless listening to the commentary coming through the large satellite phone-ish looking device at their ear.

I was polite with the whole encouragement to not go in, unanchored and resisted tell them that my Wyeth knowledge was decades long,  Helga being released to the world when I was in art school decades ago and just recently watching a whole documentary on the Wyeth legacy.

And I was Jon's whispering commentary, directing  him to appreciate the photograph of the wooden box on the shore line and telling him of Andrew Wyeth's frustration with gawkers while he tried to work and his solution.

The show was very telling, especially the progression of Jamie Wyeth , (1946-  ), showing him experimenting for his voice, painting such icons as Warhol....

his father and grandfather's influence showing in his palette and subject matter....

to finding something that was truly his own....

greater than life whimsical animals. 

The show would have been wonderful, if not for the  "gaggle of older ladies" who didn't seem to know what to think, needing to be instructed, either with the "zombie audios" or clustered around a "docent", a volunteer guide of the museum with a tablet and mini microphone.

They were quite suprised by the "Nude Wall" , a series of sketches and studies...

I heard a few audible "Oh, mys!" as they came around the corner from the lovable animals.

Don't know what they thought of the "pumpkin head man...

 at the end of the show, by that time, I wanted to distance myself, cause, well, I had had my fill of "the gaggle". Unfortunately I would have to deal with them again in A Place in the Sun Exhibit...

 and this time my frustration is probably going to result in an email of complaint to the Denver Art Museum. That story to come in the next post.