He is considered to be the one of the greatest and most influential British artists of all time, who travelled the length and breadth of the country to capture some of its most dramatic scenery.
Now, 250 years after the birth of JMW Turner, cultural institutions in Britain have announced a year-long festival of special exhibitions and events to celebrate the man and his work.
Among these is an exhibition of Turner’s rarely seen images of wildlife, which will open at Turner’s House in Twickenham – the only remaining home designed by the artist himself.
At Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, four of Turner’s paintings of the Bridges at Walton will be displayed together for the first time. At Harewood House in Leeds, Turner’s connection to another historic figure, Jane Austen, will be explored, while the Holburne Museum in Bath will exhibit some of the artist’s finest watercolours from a private collection.
At Tate Britain, an exhibition will bring together the works of Turner and his artistic rival John Constable, who also set his sights on transforming landscape painting. Also at Tate Britain, there will be a new room of highlights from the Turner Bequest (a huge collection of Turner’s works that was given to the nation) in the Clore Gallery.
The Turner prize will be staged in Bradford as a highlight of the UK city of culture programme, with the artists shortlisted to be announced on the morning of Turner’s birthday in April.
Books, films and digital content will be released through the year, including a complete catalogue of Turner’s 37,500 sketches and watercolours on Tate’s website, a major BBC documentary bringing Turner and his art to life, and a screening of Mike Leigh’s award-winning film Mr Turner at BFI Southbank.
Talks and workshops include an international conference at Tate Britain, a summit exploring art’s connection to the natural world at Turner Contemporary, and the Turner Society’s annual Kurt Pantzer memorial lecture.
The arts minister Chris Bryant said Turner had been “one of this country’s greatest artists”, and had “reshaped British art”.
He added: “From the prize in his name to [his self-portrait] on the back of the £20 note, his immense legacy continues to permeate through the arts and public life in Britain. The 250th anniversary of his birth will be an opportunity for the public to immerse themselves in our outstanding artistic heritage.”
Maria Balshaw, the director of the Tate galleries, said: “Turner is a standout figure in the story of British creativity. It is Tate’s privilege to care for the world’s biggest collection of his art and showcase it to the widest possible public. Over the course of this year, I’m delighted that we will be showing over 150 of his stunning works at Tate Britain as well as lending over 100 more to venues right across this country and beyond.”
Joseph Mallord William Turner was born on 23 April 1775 in Covent Garden to humble beginnings. His mother came from a family of butchers and shopkeepers, while his father had moved to London from Devon to work as a barber.
Perhaps as a result of his mother’s deteriorating mental health (she was later admitted to Bethlem hospital), the young Turner spent some of his childhood with relatives and went to school in Margate. His ascent as a painter was quick and significant: he entered the Royal Academy Schools at the age of 14 and earned his first income making landscape watercolours and prints.
Turner first sketched views of the Avon Gorge in 1791 while visiting his father’s friends in Bristol, earning himself the nickname “Prince of the Rocks”. By the time he was 20, he was regularly spending his summers sketching landscapes around the country, including the Midlands in 1794, the North in 1797, Wales on several occasions up to 1799, and Scotland in 1801. This was followed by winters spent working on commissions in his London studio.
Turner began exhibiting watercolours at the Royal Academy while he was still a teenager, but his first oil painting, Fishermen at Sea, was submitted in 1796 when he was 21.
In the years that followed, he advanced his technique and challenged traditional styles. Prominent patrons soon began to support his work, commissioning him to paint not only views of their country estates, but also grand history paintings and vivid seascapes.
Turner was elected an associate of the Royal Academy in 1799 and an Academician in 1802, and opened his own commercial gallery two years later.
He died on 19 December 1851 after a bout of cholera, and his body was taken to rest in his gallery at Queen Anne Street before being interred in the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral according to his wish “to be buried among my Brothers in Art”.
