Who was J.M.W. Turner?
J.M.W. Turner was an English Romantic painter famous for his dramatic landscapes, seascapes and use of light and color. Known as the painter of light, he is considered one of Britain's greatest artists.
Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in London in 1775. He entered the Royal Academy Schools at 14 and exhibited his first painting at the Royal Academy at 15.
Turner traveled widely in Britain and Europe, sketching landscapes. Venice and the Alps were favorite subjects.
Famous paintings
His famous works include The Fighting Temeraire, Rain, Steam and Speed, and The Slave Ship. His later works became increasingly abstract, influencing later painters such as the Impressionists.
In 2005, The Fighting Temeraire was voted Britain's greatest painting in a BBC poll.
Turner left a large collection of his works to the nation. Many are displayed at Tate Britain in the Clore Gallery.
The Turner Prize, an annual award for contemporary British art, is named after him. Turner appears on the Bank of England £20 note, issued in 2020.
He died in 1851 in Chelsea.