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| Celebrating 200 Years: Du Pont Family Portraits (04/00 #007) CHADDS FORD, PA From June 10 through September 4, 2000, the Brandywine River Museum presents a special exhibition celebrating the 200th anniversary of the du Pont family in America. The du Pont Family: Two Hundred Years of Portraits will introduce visitors to individual members of a family that has made an enormous and lasting impact on the Brandywine Valley and the nation. Ever since Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours and his family emigrated to the United States from France in 1800, du Ponts have figured prominently in business, politics, philanthropy, science and society. Proud of their heritage, accomplishments and contributions, many du Ponts commissioned well-known artists to capture and preserve their likenesses. The exhibition includes a broad range of portrait styles, beginning with late 18th-century paintings of Samuel du Pont, his wife Anne Alexandrine de Montchanin, and their son, Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, done in France and carried to America in 1800. Among these works is a small study in gouache of du Pont de Nemours attributed to Jacques-Louis David. David probably painted this study in preparation for his great composition, The Oath of the Tennis Court, depicting an important event in which du Pont de Nemours participated at the beginning of the French Revolution. The family quickly established itself in its adopted country, and its sons and daughters chose to sit for distinctly American painters such as Rembrandt Peale and Thomas Sully. Three generations of the du Pont family: Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, his son Eleuthere Iréné and Eleuthre's four daughters sat for Rembrandt Peale. These are magnificent portraits, and three of the six will be shown. Two other outstanding early portraits depicting Charles Iréné du Pont and his wife Dorcas Van Dyke du Pont demonstrate why Thomas Sully was called "the Prince of American portrait painters". Later du Ponts commissioned talented local artists such as Jefferson David Chalfant and Charles MacLellan. Others sat for Èmigré artists such as watercolorist Elizabeth Shoumatoff and silhouettist Eveline von Maydell. Still others engaged outstanding portraitists of their times, including Boston-artist William McGregor Paxton and New York-based Robert Brackman. Several du Ponts traveled to Boston to have John Singer Sargent sketch their portraits in charcoal. Lammot du Pont Copeland sat for Salvador Dali, and his portrait contains many enigmatic symbols typical of Dali's work. In this century, many du Ponts have been portrayed by artists working in the Brandywine region. Henriette Wyeth is represented by a fine portrait of Margaretta Lammot du Pont Greenewalt, as well as a portrait of four-year-old Eldon du Pont Homsey which imaginatively combines her interest in children and flowers. Andrew Wyethís vision is apparent in the pencil portraits of Murton du Pont Carpenter and her daughter, There. Andrew Wyeth's recent portrait in drybrush and watercolor of Eugene E. du Pont Weymouth demonstrates the scrutiny to which he subjects his sitters. Jamie Wyeth's portraits of Deo du Pont Weymouth and Phyllis Mills Wyeth show the artist's mastery of the genre from an early age. A few du Ponts have been or are portraitists, most notably George A. Weymouth whose oeuvre in egg tempera includes paintings of both close and distant relatives. Weymouth's Portrait of Governor Pierre S. du Pont IV, lent by the Delaware State Museums, reminds viewers that business has not been the sole focus of this family that also boasts senators, governors, and presidential candidates. One of the most recent paintings included in the exhibition is a self-portrait by Henry Greenewalt, a young member of the family beginning his career. Many of the paintings are lent by institutions such as the Delaware Art Museum, Hagley Museum and Winterthur Museum. A majority of the portraits in the exhibition come from family collections, and many of these have never been seen in public. The Brandywine River Museum is proud to offer The du Pont Family: Two Hundred Years of Portraits as one of many events organized by museums and gardens in the Brandywine Valley to celebrate the history and influence of the du Pont family. The exhibition is sponsored by The Glenmede Trust Company and numerous individual donors. The Brandywine River Museum, located on US Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, is open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except Christmas Day. Admission is $5 for adults; $2.50 for senior citizens, students and children ages 6-12; free for children under 6 and Brandywine Conservancy members. Group rates are available with advance reservations. For more information, call (610) 388-2700. |
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Brandywine River Museum, U.S. Route 1 and PA Route 100 P.O. Box 141, Chadds Ford, PA 19317 For more information send email to: inquiries@brandywine.org © 2001 Brandywine Conservancy |