Art lovers in San Francisco have a wonderful date to circle on the calendar! The de Young Museum just announced that it will present Spectacular Freedom: Andrew Wyeth and the Modern American Watercolor, running February 13 through July 18, 2027 — the first exhibition ever to explore in depth the American master’s lifelong love affair with watercolor.
Beginning in the 1930s, Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009) built a monumental reputation on his watercolors, which one early critic praised for their “spectacular freedom.” The show brings together nearly 75 rarely seen works from the artist’s estate — including pieces never before on public view — alongside selected tempera paintings and even Wyeth’s own paints, brushes, and tools, offering visitors a rare look inside his creative process.
From the quiet interiors of rural Pennsylvania to the windswept coast of Maine, the watercolors reveal an artist constantly reinventing a beloved American tradition: bold, expressive landscapes, intimate private scenes, and even surprising ventures into abstraction.
Organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art in collaboration with the Brandywine Museum of Art, the exhibition is curated by Britany Salsbury, with the San Francisco presentation overseen by Lauren Palmor, curator of American art at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Mark your calendars — this is one Bay Area art fans won’t want to miss!
Photo: Cleveland Museum of Art
