Kent House

After arriving on Monhegan Island in spring 1906, Rockwell Kent bought a lot on Horn’s Hill overlooking the village and began to build himself a house, which he finished sufficiently to move into that fall. In summer 1907 his mother, Sarah, came out to Monhegan with the rest of the family—all of whom fell in love with the island. The following year, Kent built a house for her.

Wyeth lives and paints in the former Kent house, which he purchased when he was 22, using proceeds from his first solo exhibition. His admiration for Kent is reflected in the dramatic depiction of the structure, which towers over the sea on a rocky outcrop. Here Wyeth elevates the house on its own island acropolis, with a clear delineation of land and sky that seems inspired by Kent’s geometric approach to composing landscapes.