Maier Museum displays Andrew Wyeth watercolor after his death

Artist Andrew Wyeth died a week ago, but left a piece of himself in Lynchburg.

In memory of Wyeth, one of the most famous American painters of the 20th Century, Randolph College’s Maier Museum of Art this week hung his 1961 watercolor, “Burning Off.”

Wyeth died at age 91 on Jan. 16.

In the painting, Wyeth depicts the same Olson Farm in Cushing, Maine, as the one that provided the backdrop for his well-known painting, “Christina’s World.”

“It’s got a nice connection to his most famous work,” said Martha Johnson, curator of education at the Maier. “It depicts a view looking through a barn

window, and the morning fog is burning off.

“I just feel very fortunate that the Lynchburg community and the college community has this real treasure here.”

The painting came to the college, which then was Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, in 1998 as a gift from former judge Paul Whitehead Jr. to honor his wife.

“Sandra (Whitehead) had been a docent at the Maier since 1991, and I wanted to do something good for the Maier to honor her,” he said, “since being a docent was very important to her.”

He also wanted the work to reflect his love of Maine, where his mother was from and where he continues to visit every summer.

“The Maier developed some possibilities,” he said, and he and Sandra toured New York galleries before eventually choosing “Burning Off” as the right piece.

He funded the purchase, and the Maier made arrangements to acquire it from the New York owner, Sarah M. Woolworth.

“It’s just beautiful,” said Ellen Agnew, who was associate director of the Maier at the time. “It’s a realist picture, but you can take a step back and see an abstraction. Some of his most memorable work is considered from this period of him painting at the Olson Farm.”

Johnson said another feature also makes the painting special.

“When you look at a work of art, the thing called provenance — where that work has lived during its lifetime — is important,” she said. “One wonderful thing about this painting is that there was only one owner in between Andrew Wyeth and us.”

In addition to “Burning Off,” the Maier also owns an untitled Wyeth ink illustration from 1956 that was drawn on a letter that he wrote. That piece was donated to the museum in 1968.

Additionally, in 1986 the museum purchased the watercolor “Study for Pumpkins at Sea,” by James Browning Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth’s son.

As for the value of the works, Johnson declined to say an amount that “Burning Off” may be worth now, though some say that an artist’s paintings rise in value after their death.

“I think that’s conventional wisdom, but who knows,” Johnson said. “I suppose because the artist will not be making any more, that makes it part of a finite body of work, which makes a difference.”

Said Paul Whitehead Jr., “I’ve certainly heard that. Of course, he can’t produce any more works. But in this case, the value of his artwork has been steadily going up for a long while now.”

According to Christie’s auction house, two Andrew Wyeth watercolors sold at auction in May 2008 for $337,000 and $145,000.

But regardless of value, Johnson said, Wyeth’s “Burning Off” continues to draw audiences to the Maier.

“It’s a name that has a lot of recognition,” she said, “so it does encourage people to come see the collection.”