Winslow Homer liked to get out and about. The same can’t be said for his watercolours, which are not often on display due to their sensitivity to light. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which owns more of Homer’s watercolours than any other institution, is exhibiting some 50 of these spirited evocations of the great outdoors along with a selection of oils, drawings and prints (2 November–19 January 2026). Taking its name from Henry James’s description of Homer as someone who ‘naturally sees everything at once with its envelope of light and air’, the exhibition allows us to appreciate how the artist conjured rolling skies, roiling waves and lush landscapes with careful brushstrokes. Arranged chronologically, it presents mainly American scenes but also includes depictions of English coasts and the Caribbean. The curators have also included several works by Homer’s mother, Henrietta Benson, who was a talented watercolourist herself.
Find out more from MFA Boston’s website.
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