Wolf Rivers, 1959

American realist painter Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) is called “the painter of the people” because of his popularity and deep sympathy for humanity and the struggles of life. Tutored by his father who was an artist, Wyeth had his first one-man exhibition at age 20. When his father died in a tragic accident, his work was forged in to what became his signature style, characterized by a subdued palette, highly realistic figures and depictions of symbolic, emotionally fraught objects. Despite the controversy his art generated when its realistic style conflicted with the 20th century’s abstract art trends, it was still featured in numerous magazines, calendars, posters and murals, and in the first one-man exhibition at the White House.