ART | The UK’s Foremost Master, The Long-Awaited Grand Retrospective, ‘Turner Exhibition’
ART | Masterpieces from the World's Largest Collection at the Tate, Now in Japan
The Long-Awaited Major Retrospective of Britain's Greatest Master, 'The Turner Exhibition'
Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), a master who created landscape masterpieces that shine brilliantly in the history of Western art. The long-awaited retrospective exhibition 'The Turner Exhibition,' featuring approximately 110 works from the Tate, Britain's foremost museum boasting the world's largest collection of his art, has opened. It will be held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum from October 8 (Tuesday) to December 18 (Wednesday).
Text by YANAKA Tomomi
Turner: In Pursuit of the Sublime Beauty of Nature, Light, and Color
Turner dedicated his life to exploring the sublime beauty of nature. He began his career in his teens as a topographical watercolorist depicting the landscapes and historic sites of Britain. He later turned to oil painting, becoming known as a leading figure of Romanticism for his works from his mature period, which depicted dramatic natural changes, and his late works, which were filled with light, color, and a sense of fantasy and poetry.
He is said to have greatly influenced Claude Monet and later French Impressionists, and in Japan, he is known as a favorite painter of Natsume Soseki, who studied in Britain. The Tate, one of Britain's foremost cultural institutions, houses a vast collection of Turner's works. Among its approximately 70,000 pieces of British art from 1500 onwards and international modern art, over 20,000 are by Turner, making it the world's largest collection in both quality and quantity.
'The Regulus' - Courtesy of the Tate
This exhibition brings 110 carefully selected works to Japan, including over 30 masterpieces of oil painting, as well as watercolors and sketchbooks. It traces his glorious journey, from his dazzling early studies as a teenager to the representative works of his mature period where he established fame at a young age but continued to pursue new forms of expression without fear of criticism, culminating in the achievements of his seventies.
'Buttermere Lake, with Part of Crummock Water, Cumberland, a Shower' - Courtesy of the Tate
'Spithead: Two Captured Danish Vessels in the Great Storm off the Needles' - Courtesy of the Tate
This highly anticipated major retrospective offers a rare opportunity to see a comprehensive collection of works by a master who is immensely popular in Japan. The exhibition invites us on a journey to the landscapes that Turner observed during his travels across Europe, which began when he was 16 and journeyed throughout Britain, and to the majestic nature that captivated him.
'Peace—Burial at Sea' - Courtesy of the Tate
Dates: October 8 (Tuesday) – December 18 (Wednesday) *Closed Mondays, except for October 14, November 4, and December 16. Closed on October 15 (Tuesday) and November 5 (Tuesday).
Hours: 9:30 – 17:30 (until 20:00 on Fridays and October 31, November 2, 3) *Last admission 30 minutes before closing.
Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
8-36 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Tel. 03-5777-8600 (Hello Dial)
Admission: General ¥1600, Students ¥1300, High School Students ¥800, Seniors (65+) ¥1000
*Also held at the Kobe City Museum from January 11 (Saturday) to April 6 (Sunday), 2014.