Recent Events

Famously, Thomas Griffith’s home in Norwood was the scene of John Ruskin’s first meeting with Turner. Griffith not only collected Turner’s work himself but also acted as his agent in the artist’s later years, negotiating sales and advising on subject-matter.

This is the first exhibition in a generation devoted to animals and birds painted by Turner. Feathers, fins and fur are not subject matter usually associated with Britain’s greatest landscape painter but Turner was enchanted by the colours and characters of creatures he encountered during his lifetime.

Francesca Kaes, Curator, will introduce a wide-ranging selection of drawings and watercolours by Turner from the Museum’s outstanding collection, the product of several generous bequests from discerning private collectors such as George Salting (in 1910) and R.W. Lloyd (in 1958). Many of these are superb finished watercolours.

A two-mile walk from Ramsgate to Broadstairs with (optional, self-provided) packed lunch en route, followed by train from Broadstairs to Margate, arriving by 3 p.m. to visit Turner Contemporary and view Turner’s Waves Breaking on a Lee Shore at Margate.

A social gathering at 21–22 Maiden Lane, with a laying of flowers at the Turner Society/Westminster City Council plaque marking the site of Turner’s birth and the Eamonn Hughes Turner-inspired sculpture nearby. Members will be invited to celebrate with an informal drinks/lunch party at the Porterhouse bar which now occupies the site.

A Twenty-first-century case for ‘Early Turner’ – Lecture by Professor Leo Costello. While great attention has been paid to Turner’s later career, much less has been given to his early work. This lecture will consider both definitions of and stakes in the concept of ‘Early Turner’.

A visit to ‘JMW Turner and Changing Visions of Landscape’ with Francesca Vanke, Senior Curator and Keeper of Fine and Decorative Art.

Charlotte Topsfield, the Scottish National Gallery’s Senior Curator in charge of prints and drawings, will host a private, out of hours view (starting at 9 a.m.) of the National Gallery of Ireland’s Turner watercolours from the Vaughan Bequest.