Britain’s most beloved landscape artist is turning 250 in 2025. This week, cultural institutions across Britain announced Turner 250, a year-long birthday celebration comprising special exhibitions, events, and more in honor of J.M.W. Turner.
Why Is J.M.W. Turner So Important?
April 23 marks the 250th birthday of J.M. W. Turner, one of Britain’s most important and impactful artists of all time. “An innovator who created some of our best-known canvasses, [Turner] reshaped British art,” explained Sir Chris Bryant, U.K. arts minister. “A talent of Turner’s stature requires a year of celebration, 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.”
J.M.W. Turner was born in Covent Garden on April 23, 1775. His father worked as a barber, and his mother came from a family of butchers and experienced mental health struggles. Despite his humble beginnings, Turner was a prodigious painter from childhood. He was admitted into the Royal Academy Schools at age 14 and began selling and exhibiting watercolor landscapes shortly thereafter. Over the course of his career, Turner broke free from the confines of traditional British landscape painting, forever changing the genre.
Events, Exhibitions, and More to Honor the Artist
According to a press release from Tate, the Turner 250 announcement “includes over 30 projects taking place this year, organized by venues large and small” across Britain. At Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, four of Turner’s paintings of the Bridges at Walotn will be displayed together for the first time. Meanwhile, the Holburne Museum in Bath will stage an exhibition of Turner watercolors from a private collection, and Harewood House in Leeds will explore J.M.W. Turner’s connection to the English novelist Jane Austen.
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Additionally, a series of books, films, and digital content about Turner will be released throughout the year, including a new BBC documentary. Suzy Klein, Head of BBC Arts & Classical Music TV, said, “We’re thrilled to be working with Tate to celebrate Britain’s most celebrated artist and be granted unprecedented access to Turner’s vast collection of rarely seen sketches.” On April 23, Turner’s actual birthdate, artists shortlisted for the Turner Prize will be announced. Named for J.M.W. Turner, the Turner Prize is an annual award given to a contemporary British artist.
Commemorating J.M.W. Turner at Tate Britain
When J.M.W. Turner died, he bequeathed much of his art to his country. The Turner Bequest is considered the largest single donation of art ever received by Britain’s National Gallery. Today, this collection of paintings, drawings, and watercolors is primarily housed at Tate Britain in London. Maria Balshaw, 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.”
In honor of J.M.W. Turner’s 250th birthday, Tate plans to publish an online catalog of 37,500 sketches and watercolors by the artist. Tate Britain will also unveil a permanent free display of 100 works from the Turner Bequest in a new room in its Clore Gallery. Additionally, a special exhibition at the Tate Britain in London—titled Turner and Constable—is among the most highly anticipated celebrations of the artist’s birthday. Opening in November, the exhibition will examine the creative rivalry between Turner and John Constable, a fellow landscape painter of the 19th century.
