J.M.W. Turner
The Doge’s Palace and Piazzetta, Venice 1840
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
Turner at National Gallery Ireland – Vaughan Bequest From Friday, January 1st, 2016, the National Gallery of Ireland presents its annual exhibition of watercolours by Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851).]]>
Source: National Gallery of Ireland
Central to the collection are the 31 watercolours bequeathed to the National Gallery of Ireland in 1900 by the English collector, Henry Vaughan (1809-1899). Under the terms of the bequest, these works are placed on display to the public during the month of January only. This unusual stipulation by Vaughan was a perceptive acknowledgement of the fragility of works on paper. If exhibited for long periods, watercolours will fade over time. Because of Vaughan’s foresight, the National Gallery of Ireland’s Turner collection has remained in pristine condition.
Painted during the artist’s many trips to Europe in his later years, the watercolours capture scenic locations such as the Doge’s Palace in Venice, Lake Lucerne, and the fortresses at Bellinzona in Switzerland. Some of Turner’s most striking works in watercolour were produced during the 1840s, and show how the artist magically captured the effects of light. The collection gives a real sense of Turner’s development as an artist and his enthusiasm for landscape.
Henry Vaughan (1809-1899) had no connections with Ireland but may have been inspired by the critic and writer John Ruskin, who suggested that Turner’s watercolours should be distributed to museums around the United Kingdom. In his will, Vaughan divided his collection between the national galleries of London, Edinburgh and Dublin. He stipulated that the watercolours should be exhibited every year, free of charge, for the month of January. The 31 works arrived in Dublin in September 1900 in a custom-made oak cabinet and went on show for the first time in the National Gallery in January 1901.
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Turner in January 2015 – National Galleries of Scotland (exhibition, 2015)
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