Art / Exhibitions
New exhibition celebrates city’s links to JMW Turner
An upcoming exhibition at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery will celebrate acclaimed artist JMW Turner’s links to Bristol, where he first visited in 1791 as a 16-year-old.
The Prince of the Rocks exhibition is curated as a gift of gratitude to the thousands who contributed over £100k the ‘Bring Turner Home’ campaign in July.
Opening on Saturday and running until January 2026, the exhibition will display four rare watercolours that have not been shown in over ten years, painted during Turner’s first visit where he explored and was captivated by the Avon Gorge.
One of the paintings includes a watercolour depiction of Hotwells and the Avon Gorge, preceding The Rising Squall – photo: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
Despite raising an extraordinary sum, the museum’s efforts to bring Turner’s recently discovered paining The Rising Squall back to Bristol were squashed by anonymous private collector who outbid them on the night of the auction.
The exhibition is named after Turner’s nickname, ‘Prince of the Rocks’, which he earned due to his keen interest in the site.
Bring Turner Home led to the museum’s largest fundraising effort in its history, altogether raising £1.4 million with national funders and private donors.
Julia Carver, curator of visual arts described the campaign as an “exhilarating experience”, adding that she and the other curators “really felt that we were supported and recognised for what we do”.
Expressing gratitude, Bristol City Council leader Tony Dyer said: “I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the people of Bristol for rallying behind our campaign.”
“Their support reflects the pride we all share in our commitment to making world-class art accessible to everyone. I look forward to the Turner watercolours coming out on display and sharing the opportunity with everyone to enjoy them.”
In appreciation of the campaign, the exhibition will highlight the gorge as a site of art, science and culture, including samples of plant and rock species unique to the Avon Gorge such as the Bristol whitebeam, Bristol onion, fossils and the sparkling quartz ‘Bristol diamonds’.
Deborah Hutchinson, curator of geology feels that the exhibition provides a “lovely opportunity to evidence and highlight the incredible natural world and the Avon Gorge which is such a special site.”
Marking the 250th anniversary of Turner’s birth, the new ‘Prince of the Rocks’ exhibition will celebrate the artist’s early links to Bristol’s natural landscape, highlighting the Gorge as a historic site that has inspired its onlookers for centuries.
Curators Julia Carver, Kate Newnham and Deborah Hutchinson put the exhibition together to celebrate Bristol’s extensive links to the artist
Main photo: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
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