: The Brandywine River Museum is offering educational tours of the
historic Kuerner Farm. For more than 70 years, the farm has been
a major source of inspiration to Andrew Wyeth.
Since his earliest painting of the farm in 1932 at the age of 15,
Wyeth has found subjects in its people, animals, buildings and
landscapes for nearly 1,000 works of art. Guided tours of the
farm allow visitors to explore Wyeth art and view areas of the
property depicted in many of his works.
Through November 21, tours are being offered at timed intervals,
Wednesday through Sunday. The tour fee is $5 per person in
addition to museum admission. The tours depart from the
Brandywine River Museum by shuttle bus. Due to uneven walking
surfaces, the Kuerner Farm is not accessible to disabled
individuals.
On one of his boyhood walks, Wyeth discovered Karl and Anna
Kuerner's farm, located approximately one mile from his parents'
home in Chadds Ford. Wyeth was intrigued by the Kuerners, who
emigrated from Germany, and by Karl Kuerner's stories of his
service in the German army during World War I. The Kuerners had
strong ties to their heritage, continuing to speak Ger-man and
socializing mostly with other German immigrants. Wyeth was one
exception. As a young artist, he developed a close relationship
with the Kuerners, and after years of gaining their trust, he was
permitted to roam the property freely - even inside the house -
to draw and paint.
Many of Wyeth's best known works of art have emerged from his
long fascination with the farm, including "Winter 1946," 1946;
"Groundhog Day," 1959; "Evening at Kuer-ners," 1970; "Young
Bull," 1960; "Spring Fed," 1967; and "Overflow," 1978.
Reproductions of these works will be viewed on the tour, along
with parts of the house, barn and property to demonstrate how
Wyeth alters the physical details of a site in order to
communicate a particular idea.
Coinciding with the opening of public tours to the Kuerner Farm,
the Brandywine River Museum is presenting a special exhibition,
"The Kuerner Farm," through November 21. Installed in one of the
new museum galleries, the exhibition features photographs,
drawings, paintings and historic artifacts related to this
extraordinary Brandywine Valley farm.
For information, 610-388-2700 or www.brandywinemu
seum.org.
