Exhibit | April 30, 2012

Brandywine Museum Opens Wyeth Studio

CHADDS FORD, PA April 2012 -- The Chadds Ford studio where Andrew Wyeth, one of the most beloved and significant artists in American history, painted many of his most important works of art, will open for tours in the summer of 2012. Given to the Brandywine River Museum by the artist's wife, Betsy James Wyeth, the studio has undergone careful restoration to preserve its appearance when it was used by the late artist.

Wyeth painted in the studio from 1940 until 2008. Thousands of works of art are associated with this studio, including those inspired by the farms and open space of the Brandywine Valley, and the Brandywine River that runs through Chadds Ford and the surrounding countryside.

The Brandywine River Museum has worked with a team of specialized architects, trained in historic preservation, to maintain the historic integrity of the building and its legacy as the artist's retreat. Visitors will see where America's beloved artist created some of his most iconic works of art and learn about his creative process on guided tours. His library, photos, film collection, fencing gear, military miniatures collection, costumes and props are among the many fascinating objects that add to this glimpse into the private world of Andrew Wyeth.

????Built as a schoolhouse in 1875, the building also served as Wyeth's home for two decades. He and his wife Betsy moved in shortly after their marriage in 1940, and lived there until 1961. Life and art were entwined as Andrew's career soared. They had two sons, Nicholas and Jamie. The building also served as Jamie's first studio where he painted many of his early works, including  Draft Age and his posthumous portrait of John F. Kennedy. ????

Andrew Newell Wyeth (1917-2009) was born in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, the youngest child of the internationally renowned painter and illustrator N.C. Wyeth and his wife Carolyn Bockius Wyeth. Theirs was a creative family: sisters Henriette Wyeth Hurd and Carolyn were also painters; sister Ann Wyeth McCoy was a composer; and brother Nathaniel was an engineer and inventor with many patents to his credit.????

To purchase tickets ??Tours will be available to the public beginning on July 3rd. Advanced, timed tickets will be required. Tickets will be available for purchase on June 1, and will cost $8 per person in addition to Museum admission. Tours will be offered at scheduled times from Tuesday through Sunday, through November 18. Brandywine Conservancy members will be able to purchase tickets for tours at a discounted price beginning on May 1st. For complete details, please visit www.brandywinemuseum.org or call 610-388-2700.????

"The Andrew Wyeth Experience" tours begin April 20 ??A few lucky visitors can be among the first to enter the Andrew Wyeth Studio on special tours offered by the Brandywine River Museum on April 20, 24 and 28, and May 1, 5 and 10. Visitors will gain insights into Wyeth's life, his working methods and sources of inspiration in the private space where he created many of his masterworks. With only 14 spaces available for each tour, people are encouraged to book early to be part of this exclusive preview.  The tour lasts from 9:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. and costs $100 (Brandywine Conservancy members, $70) and includes transportation from the Museum to the offsite locations, lunch, Museum tour, admission fees, and a tax deductible donation of $40 to support operations at the Andrew Wyeth Studio. Tickets may be purchased online at www.brandywinemuseumshop.org or by calling the admissions desk at 610-388-2700.  

????A Painter's View: The Andrew Wyeth Studio exhibition ??In celebration of the opening of the Andrew Wyeth studio, the Brandywine River Museum presents A Painter's View: The Andrew Wyeth Studio, on view through October 28, 2012. This exhibition features the artist's own view of his studio in paintings and drawings lent from private collections. These works, created between 1943 and 2005, reflect the artist's interest in the building's spare and aged interior and reveal informal moments with individuals who often posed there. The gallery also features many of the major works painted by Wyeth in the studio over his 70-year career.????

Tours of Kuerner Farm and N.C. Wyeth House and Studio ??The Conservancy also owns and offers tours of the Kuerner Farm, which inspired nearly 1,000 works of art by Andrew Wyeth, as well as the N.C. Wyeth House and Studio, where this summer the tours will focus on Andrew Wyeth's use of the studio, home and property in his art. His close ties with his family, recollections of his boyhood, and his deep emotional attachment to the land itself drew him again and again to the Wyeth homestead. He availed himself of the privacy the property offered, and he found creative stimulation in the memories and meanings of places and people he knew all of his life.????

The Brandywine River Museum is located on U.S. Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. The Museum is open daily, except Christmas Day, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults; $6 for seniors, students and children ages 6 to 12; and free for members and children under six. Tickets for the Kuerner Farm and the N.C. Wyeth House and Studio tours cost an additional $8 each (free for members). For more information, including tour schedules, please call 610-388-2700 or visit www.brandywinemuseum.org

The Brandywine River Museum is a program of the Brandywine Conservancy. Founded in 1967, the Brandywine Conservancy preserves art and the environment, including the open space and countryside painted by many artists in the Museum collection. It holds more than 440 conservation easements and has protected over 45,000 acres in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Through its nationally recognized Environmental Management Center, the Conservancy provides services to landowners, farmers, municipalities and developers tailored to the character and function of the land, goals of the landowner, and interests of the community. In 2008, the Brandywine Conservancy was among the first land trusts in the country to be awarded accreditation by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.