February 8–June 22, 2025

Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson

A Roxbury artist’s vision of America

Born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, John Wilson (1922–2015) is one of Boston’s most esteemed artists. His work, made over the span of 60 years, continues to resonate with the persistent realities of disenfranchisement, racial prejudice, and social injustice.

“Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson” is the largest-ever exhibition of Wilson’s work, co-organized by the MFA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Featuring approximately 110 works by the artist in a wide range of media—prints, drawings, paintings, sculpture, and illustrated books—the exhibition explores the many ways Wilson called attention to racial, social, and economic injustices through his art. Challenging both biases and omissions, Wilson explored subjects that include anti-Black violence, the civil rights movement, labor, and family life—with a particular focus on fatherhood. Portraits like Julie and Becky (1956–78) and his Young Americans suite of life-size portraits (about 1972–75) celebrate the essential humanity of Wilson’s family and friends, while other works like Deliver Us from Evil (1943) and The Trial (1951) depict the heinous impacts of systemic prejudice and racism. Wilson’s work speaks to shared experiences, while also displaying his personal search for identity as an artist, Black man, parent, and American.

A significant number of the works are drawn from the MFA’s collection, including a number of early self-portraits and depictions of Martin Luther King Jr. The centerpiece of the Boston presentation of “Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson” is a reduced-scale bronze maquette for Eternal Presence, the monumental sculpture installed in 1987 on the grounds of the National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA) in Roxbury. Fondly called the “Big Head” by many local residents, the colossal sculpture was described by Wilson as “an image of universal dignity.”

A resident of Brookline for decades, Wilson had an influence and impact on artists and community across Boston that remain deep today. These ties are explored further through community involvement in the exhibition planning process, the accompanying publication, and public programs that take place during the run of the exhibition.

  • Lois B. and Michael K. Torf Gallery (Gallery 184)

Featured Artwork

Finding John Wilson Around Boston

John Wilson with his sculpture 'Father and Child Reading' at Roxbury Community College

John Wilson’s artistic legacy is on display in Boston, in nearby towns, and as far afield as New York and Washington, DC. Discover where to find his sculptures and learn more about how they got there.

Read More about John Wilson's sculptures in Boston and beyond.

Related Events

In Dialogue with Wilson: Comics Reflections on a Boston Visionary

Spread from zine showing text alongside drawings of Museum visitors looking at paintings and gallery cases

Look at Wilson’s art from the perspective of 11 students in Boston University’s graduate program in Visual Narrative. This comics anthology combines unique graphic approaches with works and texts by Wilson, highlighting the power of art to make complex social issues visible.

Explore the Anthology (PDF, 5MB)

Related Publications

Extras

The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund Partners with the MFA

Sponsors

Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund, The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation

Sponsored by The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund and the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation. 

National Endowment for the Arts

Generous Supporter

Generously supported by Patti and Jonathan Kraft and the Callaghan Family Fund for Contemporary Exhibitions.

Additional support from the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, Robert E. Alan and Edward E. Greene, Katie and Paul Buttenwieser, the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation, Inc., GRoW @ Annenberg, members of the MFA Museum Council, Xiaohua Zhang and Quan Zhou, an anonymous donor, the Dr. Lawrence H. and Roberta Cohn Fund for Exhibitions, and the Susan G. Kohn and Harry Kohn, Jr. Fund for Contemporary Prints.

The exhibition was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Become a Member

MFA members get free admission to all exhibitions. You’ll save all year when you join now.

Join Today

false