A colossal masterpiece by N.C. Wyeth, 'Apotheosis of the Family,' has been brought back to life and is now poised for public display. This monumental five-panel mural, originally commissioned in 1932 for a bank in Wilmington, Delaware, has endured a journey from public prominence to hidden obscurity, and finally, to a triumphant return. Its restoration and reinstallation on the ancestral grounds of the Wyeth family mark a significant moment in the art world, offering a renewed opportunity to appreciate the profound themes and artistic prowess of a pivotal American artist.
Rediscovery and Reinstallation: N.C. Wyeth's Grand Mural Finds New Sanctuary
In the vibrant city of Wilmington, Delaware, a forgotten treasure, N.C. Wyeth's monumental 1932 mural, "Apotheosis of the Family," has re-emerged from its long concealment. This vast five-panel artwork, measuring an impressive sixty feet long and nineteen feet high, was originally commissioned during the challenging era of the Great Depression. Its purpose was to instill a sense of stability and hope, reflecting themes of abundant land and the resilience of working families, as it graced the tellers' area of the downtown Wilmington Savings Fund Society for three-quarters of a century.
After decades of public display, the mural mysteriously vanished from sight when the bank building was sold and slated for conversion into apartments. For a period, its whereabouts were unknown, raising concerns about its fate. However, this artistic marvel has now been resurrected and given a new, befitting home in a custom-designed circular barn on the picturesque Point Lookout Farm, situated just outside Wilmington. This farm, a cherished part of the Wyeth family's legacy, is owned by N.C. Wyeth's grandson, the acclaimed painter Jamie Wyeth, and is conveniently located near the historic Wyeth studios in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.
The mural, titled 'Apotheosis of the Family,' visually celebrates the profound importance of familial bonds and the deep connection to the earth. Within its sweeping narrative, N.C. Wyeth himself is depicted as a powerful, bare-chested figure, resembling a mythological hero, positioned at the center alongside his wife, Carol. The composition is rich with lively vignettes portraying various aspects of rural life, including harvesting, fishing, weaving, and timbering, all unfolding against the backdrop of changing seasons. Adding to the mystical ambiance, the god Pan plays his pipes, smoke gracefully rises from a crackling campfire, and ships with grand, billowing sails race towards a distant horizon. Notably, the foreground features an array of peculiar, fantastical flowers, hinting at a world beyond mere reality.
Among the figures modeled by the artist's own family members, a striking portrayal is that of a flaxen-haired Andrew Wyeth, then a young fifteen-year-old. He is shown drawing a bow and arrow, depicted in a state of near-nudity, with only a subtly blurred covering for modesty. Beside him stands his sister Carolyn, captured as a toddler, despite being eight years his senior in reality. Jamie Wyeth, Andrew's son and himself a distinguished painter, fondly recalls his father mentioning that the posing sessions for the mural were not extended. Jamie emphasized that his grandfather's core beliefs—a profound love for family and an unwavering appreciation for the land—are deeply enshrined within the artwork, values that held particular significance during the challenging times in which the mural was created.
The journey of 'Apotheosis' to its new haven was not without its trials. Despite undergoing several restorations, with the most recent in 1998, the mural suffered considerable damage during its hurried removal from the bank wall in 2007. The process led to significant sections of plaster, embedded with noxious lead white adhesive, being torn away. Compounding the issue, the panels were tightly rolled, paint-side in, onto twelve-inch rollers—a method later deemed inappropriate by experts, who advised that the painted surface should have faced outwards to prevent cracking.
Following its precarious extraction, the mural was entrusted to the Delaware Historical Society, which found itself unable to accommodate such a colossal piece. Subsequently, it was bequeathed to the Wyeth Foundation for American Art. Jamie Wyeth, a trustee of the foundation and a passionate advocate for his grandfather's legacy, took on the formidable challenge of its preservation and reinstallation. He dedicated approximately one million dollars to the endeavor, aiming to construct a suitable exhibition space on his expansive 250-acre Brandywine farm.
The ingenious concept of housing the flat mural within a circular barn was proposed by Caroline O’Neil Ryan, Jamie’s long-time assistant. Jamie embraced the idea, meticulously designing a barn with a 62-foot diameter, complete with a stately columned entrance, a ring of elevated windows, and a modest cupola. The mural now elegantly occupies less than half of the curved wall, leaving the remaining space dramatically blank, allowing viewers to fully immerse themselves in the artwork. Jamie sought the expertise of Scott Humphrey, known for his innovative lighting solutions, to illuminate the mural. Humphrey, remembering the mural from his banking days, recognized its immense value. He devised a complex system of aluminum and steel frames, acting as a "rib cage" to perfectly cradle the panels against the barn's curved interior, painstakingly matching every curve.
However, the installation process presented unforeseen challenges. When Kristin deGhetaldi and Brian Baade, renowned conservators from the Smithsonian and Rijksmuseum, began unrolling the panels, they were met with alarming sounds of audible cracking from the lead white paint. The delicate canvas required careful humidification to relax its fibers before being gently flattened with sandbags. The conservators, donning protective hazmat suits due to the presence of lead, then encountered another hurdle: the specialized glue needed for the reinstallation had expired. After a diligent search, fresh supplies of glue "sausages" were finally sourced from American warehouses. Justin Phillips, a seventeen-year veteran shop manager at Staging Dimensions, described the daunting task of unrolling the canvas little by little, carefully rocking it over the newly applied adhesive, admitting to feeling profound apprehension while handling such a precious artifact.
After weeks of painstaking effort, the final panel of 'Apotheosis' was successfully mounted on July 30, witnessed by an eager audience of Brandywine museum donors. With the mural's reinstallation complete, Jamie Wyeth expressed a desire to return to his own artistic pursuits, indicating his work on the project was concluded. He looks forward to an upcoming exhibition of his portraits of Andy Warhol and Rudolf Nureyev at the Schoelkopf Gallery in Manhattan, scheduled for September 12, and anticipates resuming his painting in his studios on Monhegan Island and Southern Island in Maine.
The grand re-emergence of N.C. Wyeth’s mural serves as a powerful reminder that art, regardless of its original context, holds an enduring capacity to transcend time and inspire new generations. This tale of rediscovery, meticulous restoration, and devoted reinstallation underscores the profound cultural value of artistic heritage and the importance of individuals committed to its preservation. It also prompts reflection on the role of art in society—how it adapts to changing environments, how it can be recontextualized without losing its inherent meaning, and how its narratives continue to resonate, even decades after their creation. Furthermore, the personal investment of Jamie Wyeth highlights the deep, intergenerational connections that can exist within artistic families, where the legacy of one generation profoundly influences the path and passions of the next. This entire endeavor is not just about preserving a painting; it is about honoring a family’s artistic journey and ensuring that powerful stories, once told through brushstrokes, continue to captivate and educate.
