A Dazzling Once-In-A-Lifetime Collection, Now!

Colors like you've never seen before.
Masterful inventiveness.
Rich, evocative depth and brilliance.
A variety of textures, images, views and insights.
This is American Watercolor in the Age of Homer and Sargent now at the wonderful Philadelphia Museum of Art through May 14 only.
This extraordinary gathering of rarely seen masterpieces traces the rise of a uniquely American medium. Shaped by the genius of Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent, the watercolor movement tells a story about innovation, experimentation, and the creation of bold new ways of seeing the world.

If you follow this blog, you know that we see many, many art exhibs. We've travelled all over the world to enjoy the best. And we can tell you that this show is not only the best collection of watercolors we've ever seen but it's also one of the best major art exhibitions we've seen anywhere.

The American watercolor movement  of the 19th and early 20th century created stars like Homer, John La Farge, Thomas Moran, and William Trost Richards, artists who would remain dedicated to the medium for decades. Thomas Eakins, George Inness, and others rode the wave through its peak in the 1880s. Together, their work produced a taste for watercolor among younger artists and eager collectors that would endure through the turn of the century, inspiring a new crop of illustrators such as Maxfield Parrish and Jessie Willcox Smith, decorators from the circle of Louis C. Tiffany, and plein air masters Childe Hassam, Maurice Prendergast, and Sargent. All of these artists are on view in this exhibition.
And a whole room full of Homer and Sargent masterpieces is something you will never forget.

Yes, this is a huge collection with many significant pieces and it is worth your full attention. So, be sure to take the audio tour to savor it all. And, pace yourself and allow a couple of hours to take it all in. Better yet, do it in two parts. Spend a leisurely day at the museum and break it up with lunch or dinner and/or a visit to one of the museum's shops.
You don't want to miss this!