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Art Excursions, Inc.

 

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Celebrating one of art history’s greatest watercolorists - The special exhibition: “Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolor” in its only venue



Winslow Homer deserves his reputation as one of the greatest watercolorists in art history. The sensitive nature of his watercolors (and all works on paper by all artists) requires them to be in storage the majority of the time. Fortunately, about once every generation, they can come into the light of day and be enjoyed by museum goers, We are thrilled to be able to include in our itinerary this special exhibit at The Museum of Fine Arts, which owns the world’s largest collection of Homer’s works in this medium.

The MFA exhibition will reveal Homer’s innovative and experimental approach to watercolor and passion for the study of light in diverse settings, including the Maine coast, the Adirondacks, the Caribbean, and even in England. According to the the museum, visitors to this exhibit can also view a selection of artwork in other media, including Homer’s childhood drawings and the oil paintings that were left unfinished at the time of his death in 1910.


The first-ever monographic exhibition of the art of Rachel Ruysch -- one of Holland’s most successful Baroque artists


Many art lovers would be shocked to learn that flower still life paintings by Rachel Ruysch at times went for higher prices than paintings by her male contemporaries such as Rembrandt and Vermeer. But why wouldn’t they? They’re truly beautiful, painted with extraordinary illusionism, and they last a lot longer than actual flowers!

Rachel’s father taught botany and anatomy and encouraged her pursuit of painting during the Dutch Golden Age. Before her death at age 83, she became the first female member of the artist’s guild in The Hague, worked as a court painter for a German noble family, married a fellow artist, and had eleven children. This exhibition includes 35 paintings by Ruysch from museums and private collections around the globe as well as additional works by her contemporaries, including her sister Anna. The museum has custom designed exhibition galleries that will showcase Ruysch’s “masterful brushwork...illusionistic depictions of the natural world... (and) astonishing botanical diversity and teeming insect and animal life... (which) reflect the intersections between painting, nature, and science.”

Over the past fifty years, many of art history’s most important women artists have been “rediscovered” by art lovers as a result of major museum exhibitions. Think of Frida Kahlo, Mary Cassatt and Artemisia Gentileschi (Ruysch’s contemporary) just to name a few. We’re not quite sure why we’ve had to wait so long for Rachel Ruysch to join their ranks, but we’re glad her time has come!


A special exhibition across two Boston museums of works by Allan Rohan Crite -- a self-proclaimed “Griot” of Boston


Born in 1910, Allan Rohan Crite lived in Boston’s South End neighborhood. His artwork depicts the Black community in his neighborhood and in nearby Roxbury. He also took up Christian subjects in paintings, drawings and prints. In an interview for The Oral History Project of The Smithsonian Archives of American Art, Crite said of his work: “I’m telling a story. As a matter of fact, the old African tradition -- what they call a griot: storyteller. That’s what I’ve been doing all of my life...” 

Nearly 50 years after Crite gave that interview, two great Boston institutions are teaming up to present a comprehensive survey of Crite’s working as a painter, printmaker and writer. The Boston Athenaeum presents “Allan Rohan Crite: Griot of Boston” and The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum presents “Allan Rohan Crite: Urban Glory.” We’re excited to include both venues in our itinerary.


THERE’S MUCH MORE TO LOVE IN OUR BOSTON ITINERARY

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts: one of America’s finest museums


Comprehensiveness. It’s the one word that explains why the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (MFA) ranks among the world’s great museums. Remarkable examples from the history of art populate its galleries. Of course one expects an outstanding American collection. But the museum delivers a first-rate collection of works produced around the globe made from antiguity up through the present day.

There is so much to see that tour director Jeff Mishur plans to offer two separate highlights tours during our visit to the MFA. (Pictured: a detail of Renoir’s “Dance at Bougival,” just one gem from the collection of European paintings.)


The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum


Housed in a stunning Venetian Renaissance style palazzo with three stories of galleries surrounding a lush courtyard, the Gardner Museum stands with the Frick, the Barnes, Hillwood, and the Phillips, as one of the America’s great house-museums. The  stipulations of Isabella Stewart Gardner’s will require that her unique vision for displaying her collection remains unchanged (again calling to mind the Barnes). In order to keep that vision intact but address the needs of a 21st century museum, the Gardner commissioned Renzo Piano to design a remarkable addition. Piano’s new building opened in 2012.

The outstanding collection contains more than 2,500 paintings, sculptures, tapestries, furniture,  manuscripts, rare books and decorative arts. Galleries display seminal works by the likes of Titian, Rembrandt, Raphael, Botticelli, Sargent and Whistler.  Also on display are selections from more than 7,000 letters from 1,000 correspondents, among them Henry Adams, T.S. Eliot, Sarah Bernhardt and Oliver Wendell Holmes, plus original Dante manuscripts.


The Harvard Art Museums -- the Fogg, Busch-Reisinger, and Arthur M. Sackler now united


America’s historic Ivy League campus features three distinct art collections -- now under one roof:

  1. Bullet Originally opened in 1895, the Fogg Museum moved to its present home at 32 Quincy Street in 1927. The facility was the first purpose-built structure for the specialized training of art scholars, conservators, and museum professionals in North America. The museum is renowned for its holdings of Western paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, photographs, prints, and drawings dating from the Middle Ages to the present. Sold as “degenerate art” by the Nazis at auction, Van Gogh’s 1888 “Self-Portrait as a Bonze” resides here along with numerous other masterpieces.

  2. Bullet Founded in 1903, the Busch-Reisinger collection is dedicated to the study of art from central and northern Europe, with an emphasis on German-speaking nations. Holdings include significant works of Austrian Secession art, German expressionism, 1920s abstraction, and materials related to the Bauhaus. Other strengths include late-medieval sculpture, eighteenth-century art, and noteworthy postwar and contemporary art.

  3. Bullet In 1912, Harvard offered the first courses in Asian art at any American university. By 1977, Harvard’s collections of Asian, ancient, and Islamic and later Indian art had grown sufficiently in size and importance to require a larger space for their display and study. The Arthur M. Sackler collection displays works from Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean.

A recent renovation and expansion at Harvard builds on the legacies of these three collections and unites them for the first time all under one roof in a hybrid of historic and renovated spaces designed by the  Renzo Piano Building Workshop.


The special exhibition “Sketch, Shade, Smudge: Drawing from Gray to Black”


Whereas drawings often reveal an artist’s creative process more acutely than other media, museum visitors rarely have a chance to see them on public display. This is because they -- like watercolors -- are delicate in nature and extremely sensitive to light. With this special exhibition, The Harvard Art Museums present the opportunity to view more than one hundred examples of drawing by some of art history’s most famous artists and architects, including Sargent, Gropius (pictured), Courbet, Gericault, Homer, Seurat, Rivera, Mondrian, Picasso and Redon. Some of these artists pursued drawing strictly as preparation for a final work in a different medium; while others made drawings as independent works of art intended for the market.


Trinity Church -- Boston’s Arts and Crafts masterpiece of art, architecture and decorative arts


Designed by famed architect H.H. Richardson, Trinity Church is the ONLY house of worship ranked among the "Ten Most Significant Buildings in the United States" by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Completed in 1877, the church features classic Richardsonian Romanesque design and a stunning Arts and Crafts interior with stained glass windows created by Edward Burne-Jones and other artists working for William Morris and Company. Further, the church displays several windows by John La Farge, a master of Art Noveau who was rivaled only by Tiffany in the design and production of art glass.


The Art and Architecture of Boston Public Library - featuring murals by John Singer Sargent and Puvis de Chavannes


With numerous large scale murals by artists such as Puvis de Chavannes, John Singer Sargent, and Edwin Austin Abbey on display, we consider The Boston Public Library in Copley Square more of an art museum than a library.

Founded in 1848, the Boston Public Library was America’s first large free municipal library. One of the country’s most beautiful examples of public architecture, the 1895 Copley Square landmark was designed by architect Charles McKim.  Tour host Jeff Mishur will provide a private guided tour and comment on several different mural cycles in addition to the building itself.


The Boston Athenaeum: a gem of Beacon Hill


Located at 10-1/2 (yes, you read that right) Beacon Street, The Boston Athenaeum is a library, cultural center and art museum located in an 1849 neo-Palladian building designed by Edward Clarke Cabot. An early 20th century renovation and expansion was carried out by architect Henry Forbes Bigelow. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965, the Athenaeum is looking better than ever after a $17 million, historically sensitive restoration, renovation, and expansion wrapped up in the fall of 2022.

We’ll enjoy a private art and architecture tour that includes the special exhibit of the work of Allan Rohan Crite mentioned above as well as paintings by the likes of Sargent and Stuart and sculptures of George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette (the latter once owned by Thomas Jefferson).


Tour study leader and host -- art historian Jeff Mishur

Art historian Jeff Mishur, co-owner of Art Excursions, hosts this tour. In a recent article about “Top Private Art Guides,” The Wall Street Journal referred to Jeff as an expert armed with an advanced degree and “equipped to give the most veteran aesthete the thrill of a new perspective.“

Jeff is a sought-after guide for private tours of architecture, public sculpture and museum collections. He is also a popular lecturer on art and architecture.  Art Excursions is pleased to offer as part of this small group tour itinerary private tours and/or illustrated lectures about highlights of the MFA, art and architecture at the Boston Public Library, and highlights of the Harvard Art Museums.


Accommodations in Copley Square steps away from famed Newbury Street

Art Excursions understands that our choice of accommodations contributes to the overall experience of the boutique tours we design and lead. Consequently, our clients have come to expect a high standard of hotel as well as a location that is ideal for walking to shops, galleries, museums, restaurants, theaters and concert venues.

In Boston, our hotel is located in Copley Square in the popular Back Bay section of downtown Boston. Famed Newbury Street is just two very short blocks away. Known as the "Rodeo Drive of the East," Newbury Street serves as Boston's representative of fashion and style, on par with the most exclusive districts of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. The street is home to an eclectic mix of independent shops and high-end fashion and dining establishments.


TESTIMONIALS FROM CLIENTS ON PAST TOURS TO BOSTON

Many, many thanks for the beautifully executed art tour. My husband and I rehashed the entire four days during the 3 hour trip home, and changed our "favorite part of the trip" at least 3 times each! The mix of personalities in your group was delightful; We hope to run into some familiar faces on future tours. Again, thanks for your attention to detail dedicated to the experiences and comfort of the group. I appreciate all the preliminary work that you and Michelle must have done.


We had our usual AWESOME time with you guys in Boston.  We really enjoyed our extended stay - did the Freedom Trail! Thanks again for your wonderful planning, preparation and information.  We're already looking forward to another one!


TOUR INCLUDES

  1. Accommodations in Copley Square for 3 nights

  2. Fully guided itinerary

  3. Admissions, special exhibitions and tours as highlighted above

  4. Welcome reception

  5. Breakfast or brunch on all tour mornings

  6. Two lunches

  7. A private tour at The Museum of Fine Arts by art historian and tour host Jeff Mishur

  8. A private guided tour of the Fogg Museum provided by art historian and tour host Jeff Mishur

  9. A private guided tour of art and architecture at The Boston Public Library by tour host Jeff Mishur

  10. Independent time to take in what you like at each event on the itinerary

  11. Opportunity to add on nights at a special rate

  12. Transportation to/from all venues not within easy walking distance

  13. Driver gratuities

  14. Tour design, planning, hosting, commentaries and handouts provided by Art Excursions


TOUR DOES NOT INCLUDE

Gratuities for tour guides and hotel staff; incidentals at hotel; costs for items not specified above; airfare and airport transfers. We can book airfare on your behalf if you prefer not to make your own arrangements.  We do charge a $45 per ticket booking fee for providing this service.

TOUR PRICING - Prices below are guaranteed through July 31. Prices are subject to change effective August 1.

$2,350 per person for two persons in a room with one king bed OR two double beds

$2,750 single occupancy in a room with one queen bed

A NOTE ABOUT BOOKING FLIGHTS

We know some clients browse airfares when considering signing up for our tours. We wish to offer a reminder that airfares fluctuate daily. Fare prices are driven by sale periods that are announced periodically by a given carrier and then matched by other carriers. It no longer holds true that booking early guarantees a lower fare.

TRAVELING AS A SINGLE?

Our boutique tours are ideal for single travelers, singles traveling together, or couples. We typically have a mix of these types of travelers. If you wish to know why we charge a single supplement or have any other questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page or email us.

TOUR RESERVATIONS

Group size is limited. Reservations accepted first-come, first-served. For more details please email artexcursions@yahoo.com or call 630/671-9745.

READY TO SIGN UP?

Great! Just email us at ae-news@artexcursions.com or artexcursions@yahoo.com; we’ll send you a tour application and provide information on how to register. Our phone number is 630.671.9745

 

Boston Art and Architecture Tour: Featuring the exhibit “Of Light + Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolor” -- November 5-8, 2025

Also featuring special exhibits of pioneering Dutch Baroque artist Rachel Ruysch and of Boston’s own Allan Rohan Crite