Treasures from the Wharton Esherick Museum at the Newtown Square Public Library in January and February!

Most major American museums own an Esherick.  The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a permanent display of Wharton Esherick’s works, The Metropolitan Museum of Art showcases his furniture – including an exquisite cherry wood music stand, and many of his hand carved pieces are featured at places like the Chicago Art Institute, the Boston Museum, and the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery.  His iconic handmade spiral staircase was part of an entire room designed by Esherick at the 1940 World’s Fair in New York.  

But this leader of the “American Modern” movement actually started out as an illustrator and a painter, and the Newtown Square Public Library is honored to showcase a rare collection of Wharton Esherick’s limited edition prints (restruck from hand carved woodcuts) throughout the months of January and February.  In addition, an evening with the Curator and staff of the Wharton Esherick Museum will be held on February 26th at 7pm.  The timing of this art show coincides with the closure of the Wharton Esherick Museum during the same months.

The restrike prints which will be displayed illustrate Wharton Esherick’s interests, environment, and many friends.  One of his loves was sailing, and on a remarque version of the piece “A Map of Barnegat” he chronicled a sailing trip that he and the author Theodore Dreiser took around Barnegat Bay.  The annotations revealed his joy at the perfect voyage, the sun, and his great company, e.g. “What a day it was for two overgrown children at the seashore!”

Along with sailing, he was drawn to the theater, and developed a close relationship with Jasper Deeter, the founder of the Hedgerow Theater in Rose Valley.  In exchange for his daughter Ruth’s tuition, Esherick designed and built a set of 36 magnificent chairs for Hedgerow.  (Ruth is now 91 and lives on the property at the Wharton Esherick Museum.)  Those chairs, made out of hammer handles, (Wharton was an advocate of recycling) are still utilized at the theater…and may be the only place in the world where the general public can have a seat on original works of art during intermission.   Esherick also designed an eye-catching advertisement for a Hedgerow play called “Hickory Dickory.”  These posters were printed on Esherick’s own 1836 Washington Printing Press, and a limited edition of smaller prints will be available for sale (@ $135 each) during the Newtown Square Library’s Evening Event with the Wharton Esherick Museum.

A particularly endearing print from Esherick’s original woodblock series is called “The Croquet Game” and portrays some of his notable friends swinging their mallets.  The group includes the American novelist Sherwood Anderson , author of the short story collection Winesburg, Ohio, which was later adapted for the stage, for film, and even as a musical.  The theatrical version debuted at the Hedgerow Theatre in 1934.

The Wharton Esherick Studio in Malvern is a National Historic Landmark, and is supported by an amazing team of knowledgeable and enthusiastic managers and docents.  The Curator, Paul Eisenhauer, explained the extraordinary aspect of visiting this gem-like museum. 

The Wharton Esherick Museum is a remarkable environment.  It’s one of the few places you actually get to experience the home and the work of a great artist just as it was when he lived here.  It is a highly interactive tour -- looking down into the “Sculpture Well,” walking through the main gallery, browsing the kitchen and dining room, and going up into his bedroom – it’s a moving experience.  Visitors get to climb the magnificent free standing spiral stairs, feel the smooth wooden sculptures and furniture.  You can feel the presence of the artist everywhere.

Besides the major pieces of art and furniture, Esherick’s home/museum is filled with whimsical handcrafted items – from the coat hooks which he modeled after the workmen on the site – to the latches on the doors and the light fixtures- everything has a story. 

One of the most touching is related to a beautiful rudder or wing-like object that hangs on a wall of the “Sculpture Well.”   When asked about it, Paul explained:

Wharton Esherick enjoyed entertaining and would grill dinner in his fireplace for his guests and family.  He would usually take the steaks off the fire, serve everyone, and then sit with a plate in his lap, enjoying a martini and chatting with friends who had stopped by.   Once when his grandson, David, was over, Wharton noticed him placing a piece of wood across a couple of stools – basically improvising a table for himself so that he could eat his dinner comfortably.   The next time David (who is now 57) visited, his grandfather had made him a flawlessly designed work of art  - a curved wing of wood to be used as David’s personal table top.  Since it was dated March of 1970 – two months before Esherick died – this family treasure is very likely one of the last pieces that Esherick ever made. 

David Esherick’s table top can be seen March through December at the Wharton Esherick Museum.

Further information about the Wharton Esherick Museum is available at www.whartonesherickmuseum.org

The Friends of the Newtown Square Library invite the public to view the rare prints from the Wharton Esherick Museum during January and February at the Newtown Square Public Library, 201 Bishop Hollow Road, Newtown Square, PA.  Call (610) 353-1022, and join the “Evening with the Curator and Staff of the Wharton Esherick Museum” Event on February 26th at 7pm on our Facebook page. http://www.newtownlibrary.org