Turner inspires at the Walker Art Gallery this autumn

An exhibition which showcases stunning works by JMW Turner along with artists he influenced opens at the Walker Art Gallery this weekend.

Turner: Always Contemporary marks the 250^th anniversary of the artist’s birth. Tickets cost from £14 for adults, with concessions. Children aged 17 and under go free.

The exhibition runs from Saturday October 25 to February 22 and explores both Turner’s own work and his impact on successive generations of artists.

It features around 120 artworks including National Museums Liverpool’s own collection of Turner’s paintings, works on paper and prints, exhibited alongside modern and contemporary artworks which consider themes like travel, tourism, landscape, climate change and artistic experimentation.

A number important and influential loaned artworks from other institutions and private collectors are also on show.

Among the works from other artists are pieces by Claude Monet, Bridget Riley, John Ruskin, Ethel Walker, Henry Moore, Damien Hirst, Maggi Hambling, Jeff Koons, George Frederick Watts, Annie Louisa Swynnerton, James McNeill Whistler, Sheila Fell and Liverpool war artist Albert Richards.

Above: A slideshow gallery of works by JMW Turner which form part of the wider exhibition.

They include paintings, etchings, sculpture, ceramics and two baby sharks in formaldehyde suspended in cases from Hirst.

NML has one of the most significant collections of Turner's work in the country including watercolours and delicate works on paper which are rarely displayed due to their light sensitivity. In 2014 it staged an exhibition titled Turner: travels, light and landscape at the Lady Lever Art Gallery.

Dr Melissa Gustin, NML Curator of British Art, said: “This show has been in the planning for about 18 months, which is very fast for an exhibition.

“National Museums Liverpool has a collection of more than 100 works by Turner, but very few get exhibited, especially the works on paper, so it seemed right to take advantage of the anniversary.

Above; A slideshow gallery of works by other artists who have been infuenced by Turner.

“With the Walker’s legacy as a contemporary art collection from the 1870s onwards, it seemed like a really good way to play with the collection, show the way Turner was relevant to different generations and bring him into the equation in different ways.

“We’ve also been able to bring women artists into the story. The Walker has been collecting women artists since before it opened its doors. To be able to bring artists like Annie Swynnerton, Ethel Walker and Wilhelmina Barre-Graham, as well as Emma Stibbon whose work has been added to the collection for the first time and specially purchased as part of the exhibition, which is really special.

“I hope visitors go away thinking that Turner is really good! He’s taken for granted, but there’s a reason he has that reputation. He was a phenomenal artist. But he has also continued to be inspirational for artists and audiences.

“I would love for a young person to come and see the exhibition and then go away inspired to create their own artwork – and maybe even then take part in the John Moores one day.”

Turner was born on April 23, 1775 in Covent Garden, and died in 1851 at the age of 76.

Turner: Always Contemporary is at the Walker Art Gallery from October 25 to February 22, 2026. Tickets HERE