The Delaware Art Museum has reunited famed First State illustrator Howard Pyle’s very first murals. The nine-panel work is now on display in its entirety for the first time in 75 years.
"They are wonderful example of mural paintings, but they are also really interesting in comparison with Howard Pyle’s work as an illustrator," Curator Margaretta Frederick said.
Pyle began work on the murals around 1903, well after he was an established illustrator.
Frederick said Pyle likely chose the themes for his mural pieces very deliberately.
"He chose a theme that was near and dear to his heart. They are quite literally a visual celebration of the illustrator’s craft."
The two largest panels are Genius of Art and Genius of Literature.
They were first displayed in the artist’s own Wilmington home, where several panels were damaged by fire.
Thanks to multiple grants, the paintings were restored with modern conservation techniques and are now on semi-permanent display at the museum.
Delaware Public Media' s arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from theDelaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
