FARNSWORTH
Andrew Wyeth, “Moose Pond” (1977), watercolor on paper. Collection of the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, M2115. Copyright 2025 Wyeth Foundation for American Art / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

The Farnsworth Art Museum presents “Along the Goose River: Andrew Wyeth’s Secret Subject,” a landmark exhibition featuring 26 paintings by Andrew Wyeth, including 15 never before shown publicly. The exhibition unveils an intimate and lesser-known aspect of Wyeth’s work inspired by the Goose River and the abandoned Hoffses House in Cushing.

Discovered by Wyeth in 1945, the Hoffses House and its surroundings became a recurring subject over the next 58 years, inspiring hundreds of watercolors, drawings, and tempera paintings. Even after the structure’s demolition, the solitary landscape continued to haunt his imagination.

As Betsy Wyeth once described, these works represented her husband’s “secret subject.” Life magazine photographer Kosti Ruohomaa accompanied Wyeth to the site in the early 1950s, documenting moments that later appeared in his paintings. The original July 1953 Life magazine article will be displayed as part of the exhibition.

Today, the Midcoast Conservancy has preserved portions of this landscape as the Goose River Peace Corp Preserve, ensuring continued public access to the terrain that shaped one of America’s most iconic artists.

The exhibition will be on view from Nov. 1 to April 19, 2026.

Farnsworth Art Museum is at 16 Museum St., Rockland. Call 207-596-6457, or visit farnsworthmuseum.org for more information.