JMW Turner Independent Society

22/05/2026

https://www.latribunedelart.com/article13529

Voilà d'abord une exposition qui se parcourt avec plaisir de salle en salle, au fil de la belle amitié artistique née dans les ruines de Rome où dessinaient les jeunes artistes français envoyés par…

22/05/2026

I hope to give my own explanation of this question (having pondered it for some years) when I get the time to do so.
Turner's House
8h
·
Finished… or unfinished?
Step inside Turner’s House and discover the fascinating story behind one of J.M.W. Turner’s most mysterious paintings.
Unfinished Business: The Mystery of Margate and Turner’s Bequest explores the extraordinary legacy of Turner’s will, the vast collection of artworks he left to the nation, and how his overlooked paintings helped change the way the world understood his genius.
At the heart of the exhibition is Margate(?), from the Sea (1835–40), on loan from the National Gallery. Once dismissed as “unfinished” and hidden away for decades, the painting later became celebrated for its dreamlike atmosphere and striking modernity, inspiring Impressionists such as Claude Monet, and artists worldwide.
✨ Discover the story behind the Turner Bequest — the largest art donation ever made to Britain
✨ Explore how Turner’s radical style reshaped art history
✨ Experience it all inside the house Turner designed himself
Come and decide for yourself: masterpiece or unfinished mystery?
📍 Turner’s House, Twickenham
📅 23 April – 25 October 2026
🎟️ Tickets available now from £12 , with guided tours and late nights available.
Curated by Alan Crookham, Chief Librarian and Archivist , this special exhibition is a collaboration between the National Gallery and Turner’s House.
With special thanks to StoneRoweBrewer and Artscapades for their support.

29/04/2026

Turner and other booklets from Amazon.

Online shopping from a great selection at Books Store.

24/04/2026

We’re joining the American Council of Learned Societies in amplifying the message that we need more scholars.

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Image: Frank Millet, A Cosey Corner, 1884. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

24/04/2026

10/04/2026

"Quiet, calm deliberation disentangles every knot" (Gilbert & Sullivan, The Gondoliers).

02/04/2026

New! Turner's Isle of Wight.

TURNER'S ISLE OF WIGHT SKETCHBOOK: A Revision to the 1979 Original Editon Compiled by Paul R. Secord With an Introductory Essay by Selby Whittingham

02/04/2026

Art for the artless

Plot twist: the dirty mirror was the art. The piece was called "Inverted Syntax-16" and the dust had been building up for 40 years on purpose. That was the whole point.

It was a mirror on a wooden board, covered in four decades of accumulated dust with a deliberate smudge in the middle. The dusty, smudged appearance was intentional. It was meant to symbolize the distorted self-awareness of the middle class. A volunteer walking through the gallery saw what looked like a dirty mirror and decided to clean it. They used toilet paper to wipe away the dust.

By the time museum staff realized what was happening, most of the dust was already gone. The museum apologized to the artist and is trying to figure out compensation, but legal experts say wiping dust off something might not count as property damage.

This isn't even the first time. In 2016, cleaners at an Italian gallery threw away a modern art installation because they thought it was trash. In 2021, a Russian security guard drew eyes on a painting because he thought it looked unfinished.

Some people are saying the cleaning should now be part of the art. The volunteer accidentally became the art by destroying it. Make of that what you will.

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02/04/2026

One needs to read to the end of this.

Lim Hock Ann, son of watercolourist Lim Cheng Hoe, finds a regional market for his art, stepping out of his father's shadow. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

23/01/2026

Challenging letter re review of Turner & Constable exhibition
is in the Times Literary Supplement, 23 January 2026.