Join us for the 2025 Touring Exhibitions Pavilion in Paris on 14-16 January
The collection is comprised of 40 original paintings by Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth, 24 by Rockwell and 16 by Wyeth. It also includes a complete set of 323 covers of “The Saturday Evening Post” illustrated by Rockwell as well as rare books illustrated by N.C. Wyeth.
Both Rockwell and Wyeth had a distinctive style. Rockwell’s name is closely connected with “The Saturday Evening Post” and his work truly reflected the currents of American life and times, capturing the essence of what is now considered largely “an America vanished”, while Wyeth is best known for his work as a book illustrator. During his lifetime he illustrated 112 books, 25 of them for Scribner’s. These were known as the Scribner Classics, and constitute the work for which he is best known. The first of these, Treasure Island, was one of his masterpieces.
In a sense, Rockwell was the last of the 19th-century genre painters, but one who came into his creative powers at a time when a new audience and market was opening up. Magazines circulated the nation with great popularity, catapulting certain artists into millions of households weekly and Rockwell clearly had the right talent at the right time. In the 1920s and 1930s, his work developed great breadth and greater characters. His use of humor became an important part of his work. It was a technique he used effectively to draw the viewer into the composition to share the magic.
Wyeth’s valiant characters created prototypes of our American heroes, which have lasted to set the standard for movie, television and computer games. Even today, many protagonists are modeled on those first envisaged by N.C. Wyeth, as most boys see themselves in brave, champion roles and act accordingly when the occasion arises.
EXHIBITION MATERIALS
High resolution images, captions, wall texts.
DISPLAY
Paintings require about 275 – 325 linear ft. (depending on installation) and Saturday Evening Post Covers about 80 linear feet with the works at 5 high.
CHARACTERISTICS OF COLLECTION
Standard museum lighting and environmental requirements for paintings and works on paper.
A highlight of this exhibition is that Rockwell and Wyeth are rarely seen next to each other. By showcasing them side-by-side, our unique exhibition provides a comprehensive overview of illustration in America in the first half of the 20th century. Wyeth’s illustrations dominated novels and books; Rockwell’s covered the nation’s most popular magazines. While they had some overlap with their commissions, each artist pioneered the world of illustration art in their own style.
It is interesting to compare their overlapping commissions to see how each artist dealt with the task presented to them. Viewing the pairings, we can observe how each artist illustrated commissions for advertisements, covers, and interior story illustrations differently, but both successfully.
Lastly, the depth that the exhibition reaches into both artists gives viewers a wide-range perspective of their prolific careers.
-Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College, January 27, 2024 – May 26, 2024, Lakeland FL, USA
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