The
Turner Society was founded in 1975 and has members worldwide. It
is devoted to furthering the appreciation and understanding of the
art of Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), who was not only
Britain's greatest painter but arguably the finest landscape and
marine painter ever. Turner was enormously prolific, producing some
550 oil paintings, over 2,000 highly detailed and finely finished
watercolours, and some 30,000 works on paper. His bequest to the
nation is without doubt the greatest artistic legacy ever bestowed
upon the United Kingdom (it is housed in Tate Britain, London, except for a few key works kept at the National Gallery). |
The
Society regularly mounts lectures and informal talks given by the
world's leading experts on the painter; it organises out-of-hours
viewings of important public exhibitions of his work, as well as
visits to the Study Room at Tate Britain where the Bequest works
on paper are held; and it arranges trips to see private collections
that include works by Turner. In addition, it publishes a fine magazine
which goes to all members of the Society three times a year, and
it works tirelessly to deepen awareness of the range and power of
Turner's astonishing genius. |
