The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston is presenting a rare opportunity to view dozens of fragile watercolor paintings by renowned 19th-century American artist Winslow Homer (1836-1910). The exhibition, titled "Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolour," brings together an extensive selection of the Boston native's work, including childhood drawings and his final, unfinished painting. This marks the first time in nearly 50 years that so many of these light-sensitive masterpieces have been displayed together.
Homer, widely considered one of the most influential American painters of the 19th century, pioneered maritime art by depicting hardworking fishermen with deep respect for the natural world. At the center of this exhibition are his watercolor works, which are rarely exhibited due to their fragile nature and sensitivity to light. The pieces showcase scenes that made Homer famous, including the rugged New England coastline and English seaside landscapes.
The MFA Boston provides a particularly fitting venue for this exhibition, as the museum was among the first institutions to champion Homer's career. In 1894, the museum acquired "Fog Warning" (1885), a powerful oil painting depicting a solitary fisherman rowing into threatening waters. Following this initial purchase, the museum steadily expanded its collection, adding ten more oil paintings and nearly 50 watercolors by the artist, creating one of the largest Homer collections in the world.
Due to their light sensitivity, the watercolors in "Of Light and Air" are displayed under carefully controlled, lower lighting conditions to prevent fading. "Since many of the watercolors have been in the MFA's collection for decades—and in some cases over a century—they look nearly as vibrant as the day Homer painted them," explains Christina Michelon, the exhibition's co-curator.
One of the exhibition's standout pieces is "Leaping Trout" (1889), a playful watercolor showing two fish captured mid-air, with their spots and coloring rendered in meticulous detail. This work holds special historical significance as the first Homer watercolor ever acquired by any museum, entering the MFA's collection in 1899. The piece is celebrated both for its skillful execution and its whimsical subject matter.
According to co-curator Ethan Lasser, Homer began seriously working with watercolors relatively late in his career, at age 37. "We hope visitors are inspired by his example of trying something new and pushing the boundaries of what's possible," Lasser notes. "Watercolor is a challenging and often unforgiving medium, but Homer kept experimenting and expanding his ability to work with it."
This exhibition joins a recent series of Homer shows at prestigious institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harvard Art Museum, and the Cape Ann Museum. The MFA's presentation aims to demonstrate how Homer used different materials to convey various subjects. "In his oils, he is often tackling grand narratives and existential questions, whereas his watercolors are much more immediate and observational," Lasser explains.
The exhibition also includes a touching tribute to Homer's artistic heritage by featuring work by his mother, Henrietta Benson Homer, who was also a watercolor artist. One of her studies of monarch butterflies will be displayed alongside Homer's painting of swallowtails. "It looks like a quotation of his mother's work not long after she passed away," Michelon observes.
"Presenting this deep, intimate view of Homer's work is a way to inspire a new generation of visitors to slow down and look closely, relish the details, and appreciate the nuances of the work and the environments they depict," Michelon adds. The exhibition "Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolour" runs from November 2 through January 19, 2026, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
