The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston is presenting "Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolour," a rare exhibition of the American painter's delicate watercolors, running from November 2, 2025, to January 19, 2026. The show brings together a rich selection of Homer's work, including childhood drawings, his final unfinished painting, and dozens of watercolors that are seldom exhibited due to their fragility and light sensitivity. Highlights include "Leaping Trout" (1889), the first Homer watercolor acquired by any museum, and works that depict the rugged New England coast and English seaside. The MFA, an early supporter of Homer's career, holds one of the largest collections of his work, and this is the first time many of these watercolors have been shown together in nearly 50 years.
This exhibition matters because it offers a rare, intimate view of Homer's mastery of watercolor, a medium he took up mid-career and pushed to new boundaries. The show also contextualizes his work by pairing it with an homage to his mother, Henrietta Benson Homer, a watercolor artist herself, and by contrasting his watercolors with his oil paintings to illustrate how he used different materials for different subjects. By presenting these fragile works in lower light to protect them, the MFA provides a unique opportunity for visitors to appreciate the vibrancy and detail of Homer's art, inspiring a new generation to look closely and engage with the nuances of his depictions of nature and maritime life.