First in the Screen Door Sequence

This work is the first in a series of works consisting of actual wooden screen doors and life-size portraits. Here, a door with patriotic decorations is propped open to reveal a lifelike portrait of Andy Warhol holding his dachshund, Archie. The assemblage, a combination of a found object and a painting, was lit specifically by Wyeth to enhance the illusion of the piece. The work marks a return to Wyeth’s interest in portraiture and a new direction for the artist—incorporating found objects in his work.

In 1965 Jamie Wyeth began to work regularly in New York, leaving the family enclaves of Chadds Ford and Maine. In Manhattan he cultivated a circle of friends (and subjects) that included Pop artist Andy Warhol. An unlikely pair on the surface, Wyeth and Warhol became fast friends and in the late 1970s, Wyeth spent two years working at Warhol’s studio, The Factory. There, the two artists engaged in a portrait exchange and, in 1976, exhibited their works together. Wyeth considers Warhol a mentor, and he has figured in several of Wyeth’s recent works. Following his father’s death in January 2009, Wyeth painted several scenes based on a recurring dream: his father and grandfather standing on the coast at Monhegan, along with Andy Warhol and Winslow Homer (another artistic influence).