American artist Winslow Homer (1836–1910) transformed the medium of watercolor through his relentless spirit of experimentation. His luminous views transport viewers to the rugged Maine coast, the Adirondack Mountains, seaside England, sun-drenched Caribbean waters, and beyond. The MFA houses the largest collection of Homer’s watercolors in the world, though the works’ fragility and sensitivity to light means they have not been displayed together in nearly half a century.

This exhibition brings dozens of the MFA’s Homer watercolors back into the galleries for a new generation to experience, alongside a selection of related oils, drawings, and prints by the artist. With material ranging from Homer’s childhood drawings all the way to his final canvas, left unfinished at the time of his death, visitors can follow the major chapters in his career and learn about the various environments—ecological, artistic, social, and economic—that shaped his enduring work in watercolor.

Born in Boston, Homer had a long relationship with New England and the MFA, which was one of the first museums to acquire a painting by the artist, Fog Warning (1885), in 1894. The first watercolor, Leaping Trout (1889), came into the collection soon after, and over the 20th century the Museum amassed almost 50 watercolors and 11 oil paintings by Homer, creating one of the most significant collections of Homer’s work across media.

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. From the serene waters in his iconic The Blue Boat (1892) to the drama of Breaking Wave (Prout’s Neck) (1887), “Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolor” invites visitors to celebrate the artist’s mastery of the medium and the innovative techniques he pioneered. The exhibition is accompanied by a forthcoming book from MFA Publications.