What can J.M.W. Turner’s paintings tell us about the changing environment?
Many a story. In July 2024, Turner’s House welcomed broadcaster and environmental
campaigner Chris Packham CBE, who opened A World of Care: Turner and the
Environment, an exhibition exploring Turner’s response to a world undergoing rapid change.
Running from 6 July to 27 October 2024, the exhibition brought together a selection of
Turner’s works on loan from Tate, exploring themes including pollution, industry and
the power of nature. Turner was born in the age of sail and died in the age of steam,
witnessing the dramatic transformation brought about by the Industrial Revolution. The
title A World of Care draws on Turner’s own words when he described a ‘murky veil’ of
smoke covering London.
Through Turner’s paintings, the exhibition invited visitors to consider the relationship
between art, nature and the environment, while reflecting on how the changes captured
in his work continue to resonate today.
The exhibition combined ecological interpretations of Turner’s work with practical ideas
for living more sustainably. Turner’s House worked with Richmond and Twickenham
Friends of the Earth to explore ways of responding to the eight environmental issues
highlighted in the exhibition.
As curator Tom Ardill noted, the exhibition was not simply about ‘doom and gloom’, but
also about the beauty found in Turner’s work and the reasons for caring for the world
around us. A World of Care offered a timely perspective on Turner’s work, revealing
how his observations of a rapidly changing world can still encourage us to reflect on our
relationship with the environment today.
Turner’s House was delighted to welcome visitors as part of this year’s Open House Festival on Saturday 12 September 2026, opening the doors free of charge to J.M.W. Turner’s former Georgian retreat.
Turner’s House had the honour to welcome Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard, Deputy Mayor of London for Communities and Social Justice, and Fiona Sacks, Sanctuary Champion, on Wednesday 12 August 2026 as part of a visit to local organisations supported by the Sanctuary Fund.
In 1819, at the age of 44, J.M.W. Turner finally made the journey to Italy that he had long dreamed of – a country he would later call the ‘land of all bliss’. Seeing the Light, held at Turner’s House from Friday 7 July until Sunday 29 October 2023, explored this pivotal journey through a selection of watercolours and works tracing Turner’s first impressions of the country that would profoundly shape his art.
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