Neapolitan Fisher Girls Surprised Bathing by Moonlight by J. M. W. Turner
Approach to Venice by J. M. W. Turner
Rotterdam Ferry-Boat by J. M. W. Turner
A Great Tree by J. M. W. Turner
Mountain Stream, Coniston by J. M. W. Turner
Fishermen at Sea by J. M. W. Turner
Wolverhampton, Staffordshire by J. M. W. Turner
Moonlight, A Study at Millbank by J. M. W. Turner
The Pantheon, the Morning after the Fire by J. M. W. Turner
Capriccio, Venice by J. M. W. Turner
Mortlake Terrace by J. M. W. Turner
Scène dans le Derbyshire by J. M. W. Turner

J. M. W. Turner

1775–1851 · British

By the end of his career, Turner was painting canvases so abstract that a critic accused him of flinging a pot of paint in the public's face. The son of a Covent Garden barber, he had entered the Royal Academy Schools at fourteen and become a full Academician by twenty-six. Over six decades he pushed landscape painting from topographical precision toward dissolving veils of light and colour.

Key facts

Lived
1775–1851, British
Movements
Works held in
51 museums[1]

Biography

He was born in London in 1775. His early work, precise watercolour views of English cathedrals and coast, established his commercial reputation. His later paintings, turbulent seas, burning parliaments, trains emerging from fog, abandoned topography for atmosphere and anticipated both Impressionism and abstraction. The Impressionists themselves acknowledged the debt.

He was secretive, eccentric and prolific, leaving nearly 300 oil paintings and over 30,000 works on paper. He died in Chelsea in 1851, at seventy-six, under an assumed name at a house where his landlady thought he was a retired sea captain.

Timeline

  1. 1775Born on 23 April at Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London, the son of a barber and wig maker.
  2. 1802At 27, elected a full Member of the Royal Academy, one of the youngest artists to receive the honour.
  3. 1839At 64, painted The Fighting Temeraire, later voted Britain's greatest painting.
  4. 1844At 69, exhibited Rain, Steam and Speed, anticipating the Impressionist fascination with atmosphere.
  5. 1851Died on 19 December aged 76 in Chelsea, London. He bequeathed over 550 oils and 30,000 works on paper to the nation.

Notable Works

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Where to See J. M. W. Turner

3 museums worldwide.

Plan your visit →

  • The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

    San Marino, United States

    2 works
    Museum detailsMap

  • Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

    Halifax, United Kingdom

    1 works
    Museum details

  • Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec

    Plains of Abraham, Canada

    1 works
    Museum detailsMap

Related Artists

William Etty

William Etty

1787–1849 · British

David Cox

David Cox

1783–1859 · British

Paul Delaroche

Paul Delaroche

1797–1856 · French

John Constable

John Constable

1776–1837 · British

David Roberts

David Roberts

1796–1864 · British

Adolphe Monticelli

Adolphe Monticelli

1824–1886 · French

Plan your visit to see J. M. W. Turner →

Frequently Asked Questions

  • J.m.w turner 介紹?
    J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) was one of England's greatest landscapists. His devotion to the beauties of light and air was so intense that it sometimes seemed theatrical; some even suspected he was mad.
  • J.m.w. turner 展览?
    Paintings by J.M.W. Turner, such as *Yacht Approaching the Coast* and *Sunrise with Sea Monsters*, have been included in exhibitions. Other narrative paintings, such as *The Evening Star* and *Fire at Sea* have also been displayed.
  • J.m.w. turner 展覽?
    Paintings by J.M.W. Turner, such as *Yacht Approaching the Coast* and *Sunrise with Sea Monsters*, have been included in exhibitions. Other narrative paintings, such as *The Evening Star* and *Fire at Sea* have also been displayed.
  • J.m.w turner 介绍?
    J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) was one of England's greatest landscapists. His devotion to the beauties of light and air was so intense that it sometimes seemed theatrical; some even suspected he was mad.
  • Jmw turner history?
    The sea, in the work of J.M.W. Turner, is a stage on which he enacts and reenacts past, present and future. Across a painting career of sixty years, Turner articulated tales of history, myth, drama, natural power, and the progress and improvement of man.
  • Who is jmw turner?
    J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) was one of England's greatest landscapists. His devotion to the beauties of light and air was so intense that it sometimes seemed theatrical; some even suspected he was mad.

Sources

Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for J. M. W. Turner.

  1. [1] museum Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec Used for: museum holdings.
  2. [2] museum The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens Used for: museum holdings.
  3. [3] museum Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council Used for: museum holdings.
  4. [4] academic J. M. W. Turner Used for: biography.
  5. [5] academic J.M.W. Turner | Biography, Paintings, Watercolors, & Facts Used for: biography.
  6. [6] wikidata Wikidata: Q159758 Used for: identifiers.
  7. [7] book Margaret Lamar Stearns (editor), Illustrated Catalogue of the Willitts J. Hole Art Collection _ Old Masters Collected by the Late Willitts J. Hole and Given to the University of California, Los Angeles, by Samuel K. and Agnes Hole Rindge Used for: biography.
  8. [8] book Masterpieces of western art : a history of art in 900 individual studies from the Gothic to the present day Used for: biography.
  9. [9] book Hamilton, James, 1948-, Turner : the late seascapes Used for: biography.
  10. [10] museum J. M. W. Turner: Painting Set Free | The Getty Museum Used for: exhibition history.
  11. [11] museum Elizabeth E. Barker, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) Used for: biography.
  12. [12] museum Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851 Used for: biography.

Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-31. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.

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