Whistler and Colby—Together in London

Indiana Thompson ’18, Colby Magazine, June 22, 2026

The Colby College Museum of Art has long been an important resource for teaching and scholarship on campus, regionally, and nationally. Now, with support from the Lunder Foundation, a collaboration with Tate Britain in London will bring some of the most important works by American artist James McNeill Whistler from the Lunder Collection in Waterville to a global audience.

As part of a five-year initiative centered on the life and work of Whistler, the Colby Museum and Lunder Foundation are telling a new chapter of the Whistler story, using major exhibitions and hands-on research to better understand the complex world that shaped the artist.

Born in New England, Whistler (1834–1903) spent most of his life in Europe, depicting London and other cities with a style defined by mood, tonal harmony, and a subdued palette.

For more than 15 years, the Colby Museum has been at the forefront of scholarship and exhibitions that have increased understanding of Whistler. The Colby Museum’s internationally renowned Whistler holdings now exceed 400 works of art, most acquired as gifts from Peter H. Lunder ’56, D.F.A. ’98 and Life Trustee Paula Crane Lunder, D.F.A. ’98 through the Lunder Collection.

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