Born in Russia in 1881, Nicolai Fechin was a painter who traveled the world showing his art and kept company with the likes of Arshile Gorky. He died in 1955, and several of his early works are in the permanent collection at the Frye, which has now organized its second retrospective of his work (the first was in 1976). No, your eyes are not fooling you: He could be pretty great, and he could be pretty absurdly bad. His drawings are exquisite. His women run the gamut. See if you can find his young Woody Allen look-alike and the stout dandy with one emerald earring. (Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Ave, fryeart.org, 11 am–5 pm, free, through May 19)