JMW Turner's Life and Works V&A Academy 9 October 2025 - one-day course

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Join us on this study day as we trace the irregular trajectory of Turner’s life and work. JMW Turner has been described as the first truly modern British painter. His work has been linked to the Romantic movement, which swept across Europe in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries and his late works, in particular their seeming abandonment of form and use of strong, bold colours, have been associated with the rise of Impressionism in the 1870s. Yet, when he died in 1851 his work was widely ridiculed and criticised in the press and his behaviour was described as erratic and eccentric.

What made Turner great? Join us to celebrate the 250th anniversary of his birth, and explore what how Turner was a master in oils, watercolour and prints.

This study day will take place in-person at V&A South Kensington and will also be live streamed via Microsoft Teams.