Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World, and the Olson House

Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Farnsworth’s acquisition of the Olson House, named a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior on July 1, 2011, this exhibition features approximately fifty watercolors and drawings depicting Alvaro and Christina Olson and the Cushing, Maine house in which they lived. The focus is on Alvaro’s and Christina’s lives at what has become known as the Olson House, seen through the eyes of Andrew Wyeth. The works include interior and exterior views of the house and the surrounding land, memorialized in Wyeth’s iconic painting Christina’s World (which is not part of the exhibition,) and also twelve preparatory drawings and drafts of the famed work. All the works, with the exception of a select group from the Farnsworth, are from the collection of the Marunuma Art Park in Asaka, Japan. These works have rarely been seen in the United States.  Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World, and the Olson House is organized by Farnsworth Chief Curator Michael K. Komanecky with a fully illustrated catalogue published by the Farnsworth Art Museum.