Edlis | Neeson Collection | ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987) The Last Supper, acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas, 40 x 40 in. (101.6 x 101.6 cm.) Executed in 1986. Estimate: $6,000,000-8,000,000
Christie's is honored to announce The Edlis | Neeson Collection, an exemplary group of post-war and contemporary art and design that will headline Christie's 21st Century Evening Sale in New York on Wednesday, November 19, 2025. The collection hails from the legendary collectors and renowned philanthropists Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson, presenting important examples by many of the late twentieth century's most coveted names, including Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha, Diego Giacometti, Richard Prince, George Condo and John Currin. The selection featured within the 21st Century Evening Sale and Post-War and Contemporary Day Sale is expected to realize more than $40 million, with additional works scheduled to be offered in December and throughout 2026.
Sara Friedlander, Christie's Deputy Chairman of Post-War and Contemporary Art, remarks, “We are thrilled to be entrusted with The Edlis | Neeson Collection, an exquisite array of best-in-class art and objects from the post-war period's most important artists and designers. Stefan Edlis was a rare force in the art world, a passionate and visionary collector, generous to the core. His remarkable life story equipped him with an unerring conviction in the power and necessity of art to challenge, question, and expand our horizons. Having escaped unimaginable persecution in Nazi-era Germany, Mr. Edlis emigrated to America penniless. Testament to his entrepreneurial prowess and determination, he soon found success in industry and turned his focus to building a visionary art collection. Together with his loving wife Gael Neeson, the couple became post-war America's archetypal collectors. Fueled by the belief that art could quite literally save a life, Edlis and Neeson immersed themselves in the work of the late twentieth century's most daring and iconoclastic artists. A true connoisseur, the result is one of the foremost private collections in America today: every work was carefully scrutinized before its purchase, resulting in a grouping of unparalleled quality, coherence, and art historical importance. We look forward to presenting the market with this collection - a rare and daring selection that captures the humor, resilience, and humanity of the inimitable Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson.”
Testament to the singular foresight that determined the success of Edlis and Neeson's collecting, the selection within the 21st Century Evening Sale includes stellar examples by artists who have become established canonical figures. Andy Warhol's The Last Supper (1986), executed in an electric yellow hue, leads the group, which also includes
a major 2004 canvas by Ed Ruscha,
an outstanding 2010 work by George Condo and
a masterwork by John Currin.
Alongside fine art, the sale will feature a coveted bronze console table by Diego Giacometti, a nod to the elegant harmony between the contemporary and the classical that surrounded Edlis and Neeson at home.
Christie's is honored to presentCollector/Connoisseur: The Max N. Berry Collections; a sale series spanning a multitude of categories—both auction and private sales—which will take place over the course of months. Sales begin this November in New York's 20/21 Fall Marquee Week, including four important works by Alexander Calder and Alberto Giacometti in the 20th Century Evening Sale on Monday November 17, 2025.
ALEXANDER CALDER (1898-1976) Acrobats, inscribed 'Calder' (in wire), wire and wood, 34.3/4 x 17 x 7 in. (88.3 x 43.2 x 17.8 cm.) Executed circa 1929. Estimate: $5,000,000-7,000,000 Acrobats is an exceptional example by Alexander Calder (estimate: $5,000,000-7,000,000), which relates to the circus, among the artist's most celebrated subjects, and is the first wire-figure sculpture by the artist to come to market since 2018. Another highlight by Calder, Untitled (estimate: $1,500,000-2,000,000) is a rare hanging mobile dating to the late 1930s which invokes Calder's adept use of another medium: wood. The Giacometti works in the selection include a bronze, Buste d'homme (Diego) (estimate: $5,000,000-8,000,000) and a painting, Nature morte dans l'atelier (estimate: $1,500,000-2,500,000). Together, these stand as exquisite examples of the artist's deeply personal and favorite motifs, the cramped confines of his studio and the dramatic contours of his brother's face.
Christie's is pleased to announce Property from the Bill and Dorothy Fisher Collection, a dedicated group of Impressionist works that will be showcased during the Fall Marquee Week of sales in New York, featuring outstanding examples by iconic artists including Paul Signac, Camille Pissarro, Eugene Boudin, Pierre Bonnard, Alfred Sisley, Henri Matisse and others.
David Kleiweg de Zwaan, Christie's Senior Specialist, Impressionist and Modern Art, remarks, “We are delighted to present this exquisite collection of art from the late 19th and early 20th centuries in our 20th Century Evening Sale and Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sales. Acquired by esteemed collectors and generous patrons Bill and Dorothy Fisher more than half a century ago, this best-in-class grouping underscores the strong significance of American patronage in the history of Impressionism. We are deeply thankful to the Fisher family for entrusting our team to steward these works and look forward to fielding the market's response.”
Imogen Kerr, Christie's Co-Head of the 20th Century Evening Sale, remarks,“We are deeply honored to pay tribute to the Fisher family as we showcase cherished works from their exemplary collection in our Marquee Week Sales—with Paul Signac's L'Odet à Quimper standing paramount among them. The canvas is a triumphant demonstration, impressively scaled with rich color and detail, of the artist's unmatched coloristic abilities, employing rich hues of emerald and sapphire interspersed with warm jewel-tones capturing the magnificent light. We are truly thrilled to present it to the market this fall, particularly for such a benevolent and worthy cause.”
PAUL SIGNAC (1863-1935) L'Odet à Quimper, oil on canvas, 27 1/2 x 35 in. (69.9 x 88.9 cm.), Painted in 1922-1923, Estimate: $6,000,000-9,000,000
The top lot of the group is a masterpiece by Paul Signac, L'Odet à Quimper (estimate: $6 million – 9 million), a radiant canvas rooted in one of the artist's greatest passions. Signac was famously an enthusiastic amateur sailor; deeply fascinated by the water, he traveled extensively by boat, visiting many of France's, and Europe's, greatest ports. The work was painted in Quimper, the ancient medieval town on the river Odet in Brittany, in 1922-23 and is an exceptional example of the iconic Pointillist's mature painterly style. The painting has been in the collection of Bill and Dorothy Fisher for more than sixty years.
Few American artists are as closely associated with the outdoors as Winslow Homer (1836–1910), and few rival his ability to depict it in watercolor. This fall, visitors to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to see the MFA’s collection of watercolors by the Boston-born artist—the largest collection in the world. Due to the medium’s light-sensitive nature, these works have not been displayed together in almost half a century.
Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolor presents nearly 50 watercolors by the artist, alongside a selection of his related oils, drawings, and prints. With material ranging from Homer’s childhood drawings all the way to his final canvas, the exhibition follows the major chapters in his career and explores the various environments—ecological, artistic, social, and economic—that shaped his enduring work in watercolor.
Giving this exhibition its title, author Henry James once wrote, Homer “is a genuine painter; that is, to see and to reproduce what he sees is his only care…he naturally sees everything at once with its envelope of light and air.” Homer transformed the medium of watercolor through his relentless spirit of experimentation. With fluid brushstrokes, dynamic compositions, and a vibrant palette, he created immersive scenes that not only depict the natural world but also invite us to inhabit it. Homer’s watercolors capture the look and feel of a place, transporting us to the rugged Maine coast, the Adirondack Mountains, the English seashore, and the sunlit Caribbean.
The exhibition is co-curated by Christina Michelon, Pamela and Peter Voss Curator of Prints and Drawings, and Ethan Lasser, John Moors Cabot Chair, Art of the Americas and Head of Exhibitions Strategy.
“We are excited for visitors to experience these watercolors in person,” said Michelon. “We rarely get to exhibit them because they are so light sensitive, so this is a truly special opportunity to witness Homer’s evolution as an artist in this medium and in the context of the MFA’s broader collection of his work. The MFA was Homer’s hometown museum, so we feel especially fortunate to steward the incredible collection of his art across media.”
“It is a great privilege to share these works with a new generation,” said Lasser. “We hope this exhibition brings our visitors some brightness and color as the days grow shorter. Homer invites us to slow down, look closely, and take careful stock of the natural wonders around us.
Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolor is on view at the MFA from November 2, 2025, through January 19, 2026, in the Ann and Graham Gund Gallery. Timed-entry tickets are required for all visitors and can be reserved on mfa.org or purchased at the Museum. Member Preview takes place on November 1. Following the MFA’s presentation, the exhibition will travel to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where it will be on view from June 13, 2027, through September 19, 2027.
Exhibition Overview
The exhibition is largely organized chronologically, following the major chapters of Homer’s life. The first gallery opens with some of Homer’s most iconic watercolors, including the beloved The Blue Boat (1892) and introduces the range of techniques and approaches he developed over the course of nearly 40 years. Highlights in this section include Leaping Trout (1889), the first watercolor by Homer to enter the MFA’s collection and the first to be purchased by any museum.
The following section, “Origins,” explores Homer’s early years in Boston and his work as a freelance illustrator for print houses and publications including Ballou’s Pictorial Drawing Room Companion and Harper’s Weekly, along with works from when he served as a “special artist” on the front lines of the Civil War. These include rare examples of Homer’s eyewitness observations: ink wash drawings that introduced him to the possibilities of watercolor. Works by Homer’s mother, Henrietta Benson Homer (1809–1884), an accomplished watercolorist, are also included here.
The 1870s marked a pivotal shift in both Homer’s life and the cultural landscape of the U.S. The section “Transitions” highlights the artist’s early forays into watercolor and show how he moved between watercolor and oil, often revisiting the same subjects in both mediums, such as the rural lives of children, the rolling Hudson Valley, and popular new leisure spaces like the beach. In this period, Homer's work offered solace to a nation recovering from the Civil War and he increasingly depicted women and children in works such as Boys in a Pasture (1874). He also addressed the realities of Black families during Reconstruction, as shown in The Dove Cote (about 1873).
Throughout his career, Homer was drawn to the sea. “Atlantic Shores” looks at the watercolors painted between 1873 and 1904 in coastal communities from Gloucester, Massachusetts, to Prouts Neck, Maine, as well as in Florida, the Caribbean, and England. As Homer refined his practice, he increasingly differentiated his oils from his watercolors—laboring over large paintings like The Lookout—"All's Well" (1896), but painting watercolors quickly, favoring observation and experimentation over narrative content.
Beginning in the early 1870s, Homer spent extended periods in the Adirondacks, later joining the North Woods Club, a private organization that preserved land for fishing and hunting. “The North Woods” presents some of Homer’s most innovative watercolors, trading ocean vistas for enveloping forest scenery.
In “Winslow Homer: A Legacy in Watercolor,” visitors can enjoy a video featuring Judith Walsh, paper conservator and Professor Emerita, SUNY Buffalo State College, and James Prosek, artist, writer, and naturalist, who share insights on Homer’s life and influence. The two take a closer look at some of Homer’s watercolors in the MFA’s Morse Study Room and venture to Homer's home and studio in Prouts Neck. Prosek also paints a watercolor, employing many of Homer’s techniques.
Homer’s studio was located directly on the coast, and he spent many hours during the last decades of his life observing and recording the movement of waves and the varied colors of ocean and sky. “Turn, Turn, Tumble,” the final gallery in the exhibition, takes its name from a phrase Homer wrote on the wall of his Prouts Neck Studio, articulating the motion of rolling waves, a phenomenon he frequently strove to capture. It includes two depictions of waves painted 23 years apart—Breaking Wave (Prouts Neck) (1887) and Driftwood (1909), Homer’s final oil painting.
About the Artist
Winslow Homer was born in Boston and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Around the age of 17, he began an apprenticeship at one of Boston’s leading print shops, where he learned about composition and draftsmanship. Though he later relocated to New York and then to Maine, Homer maintained his ties to Boston through the patrons, dealers, printers, and publishers who supported him throughout his career. Working as a freelance artist, Homer contributed illustrations to popular newspapers. At the start of the Civil War in 1861, Harper’s Weekly sent him to the front lines as an artist-correspondent. Homer was embedded with a regiment of Union troops for six weeks, where he sketched scenes of military action and life in camp.
Homer painted some of his first oils and began experimenting with watercolor after the war. He enjoyed increasing success as an oil painter, regularly exhibiting and selling his work to collectors in Boston and New York. In the 1870s, watercolor became a critical part of his art practice. As he honed his technique, Homer traveled widely to the Hudson Valley, the Adirondacks, Massachusetts, Maine, Florida, the Caribbean, England, and Canada—drawing inspiration from the landscapes and communities he encountered. From 1884 until his death in 1910, he lived and worked in his Prouts Neck studio in Maine. At the age of 74, Homer died in his home and studio and was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge.
Publication
The exhibition is accompanied by a book from MFA Publications which includes vivid reproductions of Homer’s works as well as insightful essays on the artist and on the techniques and materials he used to create his watercolors.
Winslow Homer (1836–1910) once said, “You will see, in the future I will live by my watercolors.” Today, many consider Homer to be one of the most important painters to work in the medium. Winslow Homer in Watercolor offers a deep dive into one of the most significant collections of the artist's watercolors, held by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Featuring nearly fifty of these luminous works on paper, readers will be transported to the rugged Maine coast, the mountains of the Adirondacks, the shores of seaside England, and the bright sun of the Caribbean to explore the various environments—ecological, artistic, social, and economic—that impacted Homer’s enduring work in watercolor.
About the Author
Christina Michelon is Pamela and Peter Voss Curator of Prints and Drawings, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Annette Manick is Head of Paper Conservation, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
