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Tate Britain Exhibition

Turner and Constable

27 November 2025 – 12 April 2026

Free for Members

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John Constable, The White Horse, 1819

© The Frick Collection, New York. Photo: Joseph Coscia Jr

The definitive exhibition of two pivotal British artists in the 250th year of their births

Two of Britain’s greatest painters, J.M.W. Turner and John Constable were also the greatest of rivals. Born within a year of each other – Turner in 1775, Constable in 1776 – they used landscape art as a way to reflect the changing world around them.

Raised in the gritty heart of Georgian London, Turner quickly became a rising star of the art world despite his humble beginnings. Meanwhile Constable, the son of a wealthy Suffolk merchant, was equally determined to forge his own path as an artist but faced a more arduous rise to acclaim. Though from different worlds they shared a profound connection to nature, and both set their sights on transforming landscape painting, investing it with layers of meaning and emotion.

With the two painters vying for success through very different but equally bold approaches the scene was soon set for a heady rivalry. Turner painted blazing sunsets and sublime scenes from his travels, while Constable often returned to depictions of a handful of beloved places, striving for freshness and authenticity in his portrayal of nature. The art critics compared their paintings to a clash of ‘fire and water’.

Marking 250 years since their births, this landmark exhibition explores Turner and Constable's intertwined lives and legacies. Discover unexpected sides to both artists alongside intimate insights seen through sketchbooks and personal items. Must-see artworks include Turner’s powerful and dynamic later paintings, which shocked the art critics of his day and went on to inspire Claude Monet, and Constable's expressive cloud sketches capturing the changing light of an English sky.

This is an unmissable opportunity to explore the careers of the two greatest British landscape painters, seen – as they often were in their own time – side by side.

Curated by Amy Concannon, Manton Senior Curator, Historic British Art, with Nicole Cochrane, Assistant Curator, Historic British Art (1790–1850).

JMW Turner, The Decline of the Carthaginian Empire exh 1817

Photo courtesy Tate

Tate Britain

Millbank
London SW1P 4RG
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Dates

27 November 2025 – 12 April 2026

Pricing

To be confirmed / Free for Members

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In partnership with

Supported by

James Bartos

With additional support from

The Turner and Constable Exhibition Supporters Circle

Tate Americas Foundation

Tate Members

Research supported by the Manton Historic British Art Scholarship Fund

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