The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania's Joseph Wharton Art Collection Commissioned by Alumnus William Polk Carey	Print Issue
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(Left to right) H. Augustus (Gus) Carey; William Polk Carey's brother, Francis (Frank) J. Carey, C'45, L'49; David Brewster, GFA'88; and Dean Thomas S. Robertson. Gus Carey is William Polk Carey's nephew and Frank's son. Gus provided remarks at the event on behalf of the Carey family.

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce a suite of ten paintings created for the School highlighting the seminal moments in the life of founder Joseph Wharton (1826-1909). The collection, commissioned through a gift by the late William Polk Carey, a 1953 graduate of Wharton’s undergraduate program, and the W.P. Carey Foundation, was formally unveiled on September 20. Mr. Carey commissioned these in 2011 and saw the preliminary sketches before he passed away at the age of 81 on January 2, 2012.

The collection was painted by artist David Brewster, who received a graduate degree in fine arts from Penn in 1988. The charcoal drawings are on display in Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall. Each 35” x 70” painting is oil on gatorboard, 2012.

The series of paintings illustrating significant events in Joseph Wharton’s career spanning the years 1846 to 1905, are now permanently housed on the first floor of Vance Hall. Visitors can see a young Joseph Wharton presented with his trademark anvil, Wharton serving as a mentor in the University’s Furness Library, scenes from the Wharton-owned Bethlehem Iron Company, and the days of an older Wharton spent at Marbella in Jamestown, Rhode Island. The paintings took a year to complete and offer a distinct blend of realism and abstraction.

“The Wharton School is honored to be home to such a unique collection of paintings,” said Wharton Dean Thomas S. Robertson. “This collection tells the important story of the School’s distinguished founder, Joseph Wharton, while also honoring the legacy of William Polk Carey, an alumnus who was extraordinarily dedicated to advancing excellence in business education.”

Mr. Carey founded W.P. Carey & Co. LLC, an investment management company that provides long-term sale-leaseback and build-to-suit financing for companies worldwide. He also established the W. P. Carey Foundation in 1988, which has supported educational institutions around the country.

Mr. Brewster is a Vermont-based alla prima oil painter, who has received recognition from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and the Taconic Berkshire Foundation. He has taught and exhibited his work along the East Coast, in California, and throughout Europe.

Young Joseph Wharton with Anvil before the Early Wharton Family Lead and White Zinc Manufacturing Company, 1846

Bethlehem Iron Company: Workmen in No. 2 Machine Shop, 1882

University of Pennsylvania: Panoramic View of Burgeoning Campus, Logan Hall with Southwest Schuykill River and Trolley, 1890

Joseph Wharton at Marbella, Jamestown, Rhode Island, 1909

University of Pennsylvania: Furness Library Interior with Joseph Wharton as a Mentor, 1890