Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson


John Wilson, The Young Americans: Gabrielle (detail), 1975. Colored crayon and charcoal on paper. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. © Estate of John Wilson.


John Wilson, The Young Americans: Gabrielle (detail), 1975. Colored crayon and charcoal on paper. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. © Estate 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 remains 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

John Wilson, Richie No. 1, 1981
Charcoal on paper. Private Collection © Estate of John Wilson.

John Wilson, Roz, 1972
Colored crayon on paper. The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection and Lee M. Friedman Fund. © Estate of John Wilson.

John Wilson, Self-Portrait, 1946
India ink on paper, mounted on laminated paper board. Emily L. Ainsley Fund. © Estate of John Wilson.

John Wilson, The Young Americans: Gabrielle, 1975
Colored crayon and charcoal on paper. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. © Estate of John Wilson.

John Wilson, Streetcar Scene, 1945
Lithograph. Gift of George H. Edgell. © Estate of John Wilson.

John Wilson, study for Malcolm X, 1970
Color separation comprised of drawings on three sheets. Top sheet: black crayon and graphite; other sheets: brush and black ink. Estate of John Wilson. © Estate of John Wilson.

John Wilson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1985
Black and white pastel on cream Japanese paper. Richard Florsheim Art Fund and Anonymous Gift. © Estate of John Wilson.

John Wilson, Self Portrait, 1943
Oil on canvas. Museum purchase with funds donated by Patti and Jonathan Kraft. © Estate of John Wilson.

John Wilson, maquette for Eternal Presence, modeled 1985, cast 1998
Bronze. William Francis Warden Fund. © Estate of John Wilson.

John Wilson, Campesinos (Peasants), 1953
Oil on paper mounted on board. Private Collection. © Estate of John Wilson.

John Wilson, Roz No. 9, study for Eternal Presence, 1972
Black and white pastel and charcoal on paper. Virginia Herrick Deknatel Purchase Fund and Lee M. Friedman Fund. © Estate of John Wilson.

John Wilson, The Trial, 1951
Lithograph. Lee M. Friedman Fund. © Estate of John Wilson.

John Wilson, Oracle, 1965
Black ink, black chalk, and collage on paper. Yale University Art Gallery, Janet and Simeon Braguin Fund. © Estate of John Wilson.

John Wilson working on the final clay of Eternal Presence, 1987
John Wilson Archive.
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2:30 pm–3:10 pm
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5:30 pm–6:10 pm
Wednesday, February 26–Wednesday, March 19, 2025
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6:00 pm–6:40 pm
Sunday, March 2, 2025
1:30 pm–2:10 pm
Sponsors
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.
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