Exhibitions

Unfinished Business: The Mystery of Margate and Turner’s Bequest

Unfinished Business: The Mystery of Margate and Turner’s Bequest
When

23 April 2026 - 25 October 2026
Opening hours:
Wed - Sun, 12.00 to 16.00

About this event

This fascinating exhibition explores the history of J.M.W. Turner’s painting Margate(?), from the Sea (1835–40), and explains the complex legacy of his will and the large body of work known as the Turner Bequest.

This fascinating exhibition explores the history of J.M.W. Turner’s painting Margate(?), from the Sea (1835–40), and explains the complex legacy of his will and the large body of work known as the Turner Bequest. After Turner’s death, his later experimental works were heavily criticised, and some even questioned his mental stability. His relatives challenged his will, and when the legal dispute concluded, hundreds of paintings – many of them unfinished – and thousands of drawings were given to the nation.

The exhibition offers an opportunity to mark the 250th anniversary of Turner’s birth by examining his bequest, with the chance to view one of his enigmatic late paintings, Margate(?), from the Sea, in the intimate setting of Turner’s House.

This exhibition was made possible with the loan and support from the National Gallery, and the generous support of ARTscapades and Stone Rowe Brewer LLP.


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