Description: Signed and Inscribed by Helga Testorf On Andrew Wyeth's Birthday (7-12-2005)Large Coffee Table Book - Approx. 10.25" Wide by 11.25" Heavy Book - 208 Pages Please see pictures for more information and detail Helga Ingrid Testorf was a neighbor of Wyeth's in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and over the course of fifteen years posed for Wyeth indoors and out of doors, nude and clothed, in attitudes that reminded writers of figures painted by Botticelli and Édouard Manet. To John Updike, her body "is what Winslow Homer's maidens would have looked like beneath their calico." Born in East Prussia, Helga entered a Prussian Protestant convent chosen by her father in 1955. After becoming seriously ill she left the convent and lived in Mannheim, where she studied to be a nurse and a masseuse. In 1957, she met John Testorf, a German-born, naturalized American citizen, whom she married in 1958. By 1961 they were living in Philadelphia, and they soon moved to Chadds Ford. There she raised a family of four children, and acted as caretaker to farmer Karl Kuerner, an elderly neighbor who was a friend and model for Wyeth.Wyeth asked Testorf to model for him in 1970, and from then until 1985 he made 45 paintings and 200 drawings of her, many of which depicted her nude. The sessions supposedly were a secret even to their spouses. The paintings were stored at the home of his student, neighbor and good friend, Frolic Weymouth. When the existence of the pictures was made public images of Testorf graced the covers of both Time and Newsweek magazines. (See Wikipedia for more information)The model was Helga Testorf. “Helga Testorf, a middle-aged woman in pigtails who was Mr. Wyeth's neighbor in rural Pennsylvania, has the curious distinction of being the last person to be made famous by a painting". (Create Magazine) *****The book is in excellent condition. The dust jacket is in excellent condition. Light scuff marks. The book is very tight and there are no remainder marks, not ex-library. Please see pictures for more information and detail. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have. I will be glad to take additional pictures. I tried to describe the book through words and pictures the best I can but if you are not 100% satisfied with the purchase, please know you can return the book for full refund. Boxed and packaged VERY carefully! Will ship within 1 business day of receiving payment. Thank you for looking!
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