On View > Winslow Homer Watercolors
OF LIGHT AND AIR: WINSLOW HOMER IN WATERCOLOR
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Boston, MA
mfa.org
Through January 19, 2026
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) houses the world’s largest collection of watercolors by the American artist Winslow Homer (1836–1910), who transformed this challenging medium through his relentless spirit of experimentation. Their sensitivity to light means they have not been displayed together in nearly half a century, and so this season’s exhibition, “Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolor,” will be a revelation to a new generation of fans.
On view are nearly 50 watercolors alongside a selection of related oils, drawings, and prints. Homer’s luminous views bring viewers along on his many travels through the rugged Maine coast, Adirondack Mountains, seaside England, and sun-drenched Caribbean, and the exhibited pieces will range from childhood drawings all the way to his final canvas, which he left unfinished.
In 1894, the MFA became one of the first museums to acquire a painting by Homer, “Fog Warning” (1885), and its first watercolor, “Leaping Trout” (1892), came into the collection soon after. Over the 20th century the museum amassed almost 50 more of his watercolors and 11 oil paintings.
Writer Henry James famously described Homer as an artist “who sees everything at once with its envelope of light and air” — a fitting description of a painter who utilized the unique qualities of watercolor to capture the ephemeral, fleeting nature of his subject matter.
This show will travel onward to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where it will appear from June 13 through September 19, 2027.
Join us for Watercolor Live, taking place January 21-23, 2026, with an optional Essential Techniques Day on January 20. Visit WatercolorLive.com for the all-star faculty lineup!
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