Edward Lear is most often associated with richly inventive, frequently eccentric poems and limericks. “They dined on mince and slices of quince, / Which they ate with a runcible spoon,” goes a line from his 1871 song “The Owl and the Pussycat.” But Lear was also an artist and illustrator; indeed, he was one of the great ornithological artists of his time, sometimes compared to Audubon. Born in England in 1812, the 20th of 21 children, Lear began drawing at 16, moved on to etchings as well, and then, because his failing eyesight precluded fine work, turned to landscape painting, traveling to Italy, Greece, Egypt, and India for subjects. This exhibition contains 60 works by Lear, many exhibited for the first time. —Elena Clavarino