SANDWICH, MASS.- “I want to show Americans what America is like,” Andrew Wyeth once declared. Together with his father N.C. and his son Jamie, Andrew Wyeth has helped to shape how Americans view themselves, their history, and their aspirations. The work of three generations of the Wyeth family is being featured in the exhibit The Wyeths: America Reflected through September 27 at Heritage Museums & Gardens. Consisting of works by all three artists, this exhibition explores such quintessentially American themes as patriotism and the meaning of America, family, the significance of place, and the role of storytelling.

Arranged by artist, The Wyeths: America Reflected offers insights into the work of these giants of American art. N. C. Wyeth’s sixteen oil paintings from Poems of American Patriotism, with their depictions of George Washington, Paul Revere, and Abraham Lincoln serve as the departure point. Landscapes by Andrew Wyeth speak to the importance of land and sea in defining American identity. Also included are evocative and provocative images by Jamie that deal with some of the figures of our times and our preoccupation with mystery and mortality.

Set in a space that evokes a barn interior in the Wyeths’ home state of Maine, the exhibition includes forty-five paintings and works of art on paper from private and museum collections. Works on display are accompanied by photographs of each artist, an introductory text that sets out the parameters of the exhibition, text panels for each artist with biographical and thematic information, and individual annotated labels.

“Heritage Museums & Gardens is honored to bring the evocative artistry of three generations of the Wyeth family to the Cape,” said Heritage Museums & Gardens President and CEO Ellen Spear. “Just as one generation of artist is inspired by the next, this exhibit will create opportunities for families to inspire and learn from each other. An important part of the Wyeth family legacy is their representation of America. The works in the show are beautiful visualizations of our country and culture and make for an outstanding and provocative exhibit.”

The Wyeths: America Reflected was organized by guest curator Martha Severens.