Major JMW Turner exhibition heading to Norwich Castle Museum

Paintings and drawings by JMW Turner will be exhibited alongside other landscapes from the 17th century to the modern day.

Contextualising the Romantic artist against the painters that influenced him, and the work that he in turn inspired, the show marks the 250th anniversary of his birth in 1775.

JMW Turner (1775-1851), Walton Bridges, c1806 (Image: Norfolk Museums Service)

Featuring seven oil paintings by Turner, alongside nine of his works on paper, his approach is compared and contrasted with more than 50 works by dozens of other artists.

JMW Turner (1775-1851), Landscape with Walton Bridges, mid 1840s (Image: Sotheby’s)

JMW Turner And Changing Visions Of Landscape includes work by those who influenced the English Romantic artist, such as Canaletto and Claude Lorrain.

Canaletto (1697-1768), A View of Walton Bridge, 1754 (Image: Dulwich Picture Gallery)

It also features work by his contemporaries such as John Sell Cotman and John Constable, those he influenced and those who have followed in his footsteps in creating landscape art, such as Paul Nash and Henna Nadeem.

John Sell Cotman (1782-1842), Snowdon, North Wales, 1809-10 (Image: Norfolk Museums Service)

The exhibition brings together four of Turner’s paintings of the Bridges at Walton on the River Thames, drawn from Norwich Castle, Tate and a private collection.

Painted between 1805 and the 1840s, each painting gives a completely different character to this one location.

A portrait of JMW Turner by John Phillip (Image: National Portrait Gallery London)

Turner's 1805/6 version of Walton Bridges was acquired by Norfolk Museums Service in 2019 after a fundraising campaign to save it for the nation.

Dr Francesca Vanke, senior curator and keeper of art at Norfolk Museums Service with one of JMW Turner's paintings (Image: Jamie HoneywoodArchantNorwichNorfolk)

Margaret Dewsbury, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for communities, said: "This exciting exhibition is a direct result of the acquisition of Turner’s early masterpiece Walton Bridges, made possible through the generous support of National Lottery players through The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund.

Norwich Castle (Image: Denise Bradley)

"Securing the painting for a public collection has opened the door to loans of other Turner works and offers visitors a unique opportunity to see his evolving vision of this landscape.

"Displayed alongside landscapes by many other artists, the exhibition is a timely reflection on the immense artistic and cultural legacy of one of our greatest artists."

Margaret Dewsbury (Image: Norfolk Conservatives)

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The exhibition will be on show at Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery from Saturday, October 19 until Sunday, February 23 next year.

Henna Nadeem (b1966), X-Rocks (Image: Henna Nadeem)

Entry to the exhibition is included with general admission to the museum.