An NC Wyeth mural, 60 feet long and 19 feet high, is now available for public view in a new round barn in Wilmington, writes Bedatri D. Choudhury for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The barn exhibit will be managed by the Brandywine Museum in Chadds Ford.
The 1932 mural, “Apotheosis of the Family,” was commissioned by Frederick Stone, president of the Wilmington Savings Fund Society (now, WSFS) to celebrate the bank’s 100th anniversary.
The mural from the Chadds Ford artist was unveiled in January 1932 and underwent two restorations during the 75 years it hung on the walls of the WSFS at Wilmington’s Ninth and Market streets.
The mural was packed away in 2007 when the building was sold to a developer.
Now, NC Wyeth’s grandson, Jamie Wyeth, has rented a building “the size of an aircraft tanker” to put the five-panel mural back on display.
Jamie Wyeth was understandably nervous about unfolding the mural after so many years in storage.
“I didn’t know if I’d see potato chips of paint flying,” he said.
He didn’t.
Minor damage was repaired, and the mural panels humidified to bring N.C. Wyeth’s largest artwork back to life.
Read about the process involved to move the mural from storage to restoration, to display in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
