Lot 13
  • 13

Andrew Wyeth

Estimate
250,000 - 350,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Andrew Wyeth
  • In the Doorway
  • signed with initials A.W. (upper left)
  • watercolor on paper
  • 23 3/4 by 18 5/8 inches
  • (60.3 by 47.3 cm)
  • Executed in 1984.

Provenance

Andrew and Betsy Wyeth, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
Leonard E.B. Andrews, Malvern, Pennsylvania, 1986 (acquired from the artist)
Private collection, Shibuya, Tokyo, 1989
Pacific Sun Trading Company, Wellesley, Massachusetts, 2005 
[With]Adelson Galleries, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above, circa 2008

Exhibited

Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art; Boston, Massachusetts, Museum of Fine Arts; Houston, Texas, The Museum of Fine Arts; Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; San Francisco, California, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco; Detroit, Michigan, Detroit Institute of Arts, Andrew Wyeth: The Helga Pictures, May 1987-January 1989, no. 200, p. 163 (also traveled to eight venues in Japan)
West Palm Beach, Florida, Norton Museum of Art; San Diego, California, San Diego Museum of Art; Portland, Maine, Portland Museum of Art; New Orleans, Louisiana, New Orleans Museum of Art, Andrew Wyeth- The Helga Pictures, January 1996-June 1997
Naples, Florida, Naples Museum of Art, Andrew Wyeth & Family, January-May 2006
New York, Adelson Galleries, Andrew Wyeth: Helga on Paper, November-December 2006, no. 69, p. 103

Condition

There is a slight distortion to the sheet that is inherent to the artist's materials. There is minor mat burn at extreme edges and a small crease at lower right corner.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Beginning in 1971, Andrew Wyeth produced over 240 images in tempera, drybrush, watercolor and pencil depicting a single woman – Helga Testorf. This collection of works, popularly known now as “The Helga Pictures,” remained hidden from the world, and even Wyeth’s wife Betsy, until it was purchased in almost its entirety by Philadelphia publisher Leonard E.B. Andrews in 1986. Andrews’ intention was to preserve the collection for the public’s enjoyment, and shortly after his purchase, the works embarked on a two year traveling exhibition curated by John Wilmerding of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Wyeth was first introduced to Helga by their mutual neighbor Karl Kuerner, whose family and farm in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania had served as subjects of the artist’s work for years, and was immediately captivated by her. Wyeth “depicted [Helga] nude and clothed, indoors and out, asleep and awake, in different seasons and times of day," documenting her physical and emotional evolution over a fifteen year period" (John Wilmerding, Andrew Wyeth: The Helga Pictures, New York, 1987, p. 11). Wyeth’s watercolors from the series were particularly influenced by Winslow Homer’s works of the late 1870s, many of which depict a lone, contemplative female figure standing in fields or woodlands.

This work will be included in Betsy James Wyeth’s forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist’s work.