John Wilson : Witnessing Humanity

Exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 8 February - 22 June 2025 ;
Then at the Metropolitan Museum, New York, 18 September 2025 - 8 February 2026

Throughout his career, the American artist John Wilson (1922-2015) was a keen observer and social activist. In his depictions of black Americans in particular, he sought to pay homage to beauty and truth in a way that all viewers, whatever their background or culture, could relate to. His multidisciplinary works include unvarnished depictions of racial violence and war, tender family portraits, monumental bronze heads and historic commissions such as the bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the US Capitol.

This catalogue of the first major retrospective of Wilson's work sheds light on his life and artistic development. Through 110 of the artist's works in a wide range of media - prints, drawings, paintings, sculptures and illustrated books - it explores the many ways in which Wilson drew attention to racial, social and economic injustices through his art. The book also contains critical essays and personal reflections, including analyses by art historians, interviews with Wilson's peers, reminiscences by other black creators and a comprehensive chronology compiled by the late artist's gallerist.