J.M.W Turner (1775-1851) – Loch Coruisk, Skye, 1831-4. Collection: National Galleries of Scotland Henry Vaughan Bequest 1900.
In 2025 a long running annual tradition at the National Gallery of Ireland will be different. In January 2025 the National Galleries of Scotland’s group of 38 Vaughan Bequest Turner watercolours will go on display in the Print Gallery at the National Gallery of Ireland. At the same time, The National Galleries of Scotland will display the National Gallery of Ireland’s Turner collection in the Royal Scottish Academy building in Edinburgh. This exchange, very much in the spirit of Vaughan’s generous bequest, comes as a result of many years of discussion and planning by the two institutions. The two exhibitions will provide visitors with a rare opportunity to view a new selection of Turner’s masterful watercolours from Henry Vaughan’s renowned collection. The exchange will mark the 250th anniversary of Turner’s birth.
Opening on January I at the National Gallery of Ireland, Turner’s Watercolours: Scotland’s Vaughan Bequest, curated by Anne Hodge (Curator of Prints and Drawings), will delve into the interests and motivations of J.M.W. Turner as artist and Henry Vaughan as collector. The works on loan from the National Galleries of Scotland range from detailed topographical views from the 1790s, to vibrant and expressive watercolours of Venice and the Swiss Alps that date to the 1830s and 1840s.