PARIS.- The Mona Bismarck Foundation will present The Wyeths: Three Generations of American Art, an exhibition showcasing more than 70 works of art from one of America’s foremost artistic families. For three generations, the Wyeths have captured the imagination and admiration of a wide audience. Featuring paintings, drawings, and illustrations by N.C. Wyeth, his son, Andrew Wyeth, and grandson, Jamie Wyeth, this exhibition is drawn from the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Collection, with additional pieces from distinguished museums, the private collections of the Wyeth family, and other lenders.

Many of these works have never been on view in Paris and span almost one hundred years of creative output. They reveal the breadth of the Wyeth family’s prodigious talent, showing their common themes and their distinctive achievements.

The 60 works that Bank of America Merrill Lynch has made available for this exhibition through its Art in Our Communities® programme give the public access to important works of art and ensures that smaller institutions are able to stage major cultural shows.

The Wyeths: Three Generations of American Art builds on the late Mona Bismarck’s commitment to strengthening Franco-American ties through art and culture. This exhibition is the latest in a series of popular shows from the Mona Bismarck Foundation that have helped encourage cross-cultural understanding. These include: Made in France by Americans; Buttons: Artistic, Cultural and Historic Phenomena; and Made in Chicago: Photographs from the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Collection.

The Wyeth family has a long-standing relationship with France and French culture, as Jamie Wyeth observes: "After these many years it remains such a vivid memory: my brother and I accompanying our father to Paris for his induction into the French Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1977. And now, to be returning to that great city with his works, my grandfather's works, and my own is indeed another experience that I eagerly look forward to."

Luc Rémont, Country Executive for France at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, states: “We are thrilled that this wonderful exhibition is opening in Paris, building on our long-term commitment to supporting arts and culture in France. We are delighted to work once again with the Mona Bismarck Foundation, a well-respected organisation that plays such a vital role in promoting Franco-American relations through cultural experiences.”

Rena De Sisto, Global Arts and Culture Executive, adds: “The Bank of America Merrill Lynch Art in Our Communities® programme will lend 18 exhibitions to museums around the world in 2011. In our view, this programme represents the best use of our art collection, that is, to share it with the widest possible audience while creating economic opportunity for the museums with whom we partner. We are pleased that the Made in Chicago exhibition in 2010 was so successful that a second partnership with the Mona Bismarck Foundation is being undertaken with this exhibition."

Caroline Porter, Mona Bismarck Foundation President, concludes: “In this very important year for the history of the Mona Bismarck Foundation, our 25th anniversary, it gives us immense pleasure to welcome The Wyeths: Three Generations of American Art. This exhibition represents the very essence of our mission to promote and showcase American art and culture and provides a splendid opportunity to introduce to France the great breadth of work from this renowned family of American artists. We extend our grateful thanks to Bank of America Merrill Lynch for their valued partnership once again. Special thanks go to Jamie Wyeth and the Wyeth family for generously lending works from their private collections and for the extraordinary support they have given us in what we believe will be a major cultural event in Paris.

Accompanying the exhibition will be a comprehensive, illustrated catalogue with a foreword by Rena De Sisto, Global Arts and Culture Executive at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and essays by Henry Adams, Ph.D., Professor of American Art at Case Western Reserve University, and Joyce Hill Stoner, Ph.D., Professor and Paintings Conservator, Winterthur/University of Delaware.