Where: Freer Gallery of Art

When: closing November 3, 2019

When one thinks of Whistler and the Freer, the first thing that comes to mind is the Peacock Room.  And rightly so; it's an amazing achievement, to make art out of a room.  And those peacocks - telling the story of Whistler's falling out with Leyland, under the watchful eye of The Princess from the Land of Porcelain.  If you can see all this when the shutters are open (the 3rd Thursday of each month, in the afternoon), do so - it's a great treat.

But, Whistler is more than the Peacock Room, and Charles Lang Freer was a great admirer of Whistler's, so we get to enjoy his many, many talents.  In fact, Freer amassed the world's largest collection of Whistler watercolors, some of which are on display in the Whistler in Watercolor exhibit on now.  These pieces never travel (due to the conditions of the deed of gift establishing the museum) and are very fragile, so they're rarely seen.  Happily, we have an opportunity to look at them for the next couple of weeks.

These watercolors came about when Whistler was seeking to reinvent himself as an artist.  He'd lost Leyland as a patron and was involved in a lawsuit with John Ruskin, so he needed to make some money. Off he went to Venice, in search of inspiration.  What he produced were many seascapes, composed of three parts: sky, sea and shore; bustling street scenes, and quiet domestic interiors.  He also began to paint nocturnes (the Sackler had a big show of these not too long ago, so they can travel across the street), those moody, atmospheric night paintings.  And we get to see the fruits of those labors in this show.

Verdict: If you like Whistler or watercolors or paintings of the night, this is a show for you.