American realist painter Andrew Wyeth died after a brief illness at his home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, on Friday, January 16, 2009. He was 91 years old.
During his life, Andrew Wyeth accomplished many “firsts.” He was the first living American artist to have an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the first living American artist to have an exhibition at the National Gallery, in Washington, DC, the first living American artist to be elected to Britain’s Royal Academy, and the first living American artist to have an exhbition at the White House.
In 1963 Mr. Wyeth became the first artist to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. President George H. W. Bush awarded Mr. Wyeth the Congressional Gold Medal in 1990, the first time an artist had received that honor. In 2007 he received the National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush.
In a 1997 statement to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mr. Wyeth said, “”All I can say at the end of my life is that painting has been my one interest, nothing else but art.”
See Also:
US artist Andrew Wyeth dies at 91 (BBC News; January 16, 2009)
American artist Andrew Wyeth dies (Boston.com; January 17, 2009)
Editorial: Andrew Wyeth, 1917-2009 – An American treasure (Philadelphia Inquirer; January 19, 2009)
