John Constable
Hampstead Heath with a Rainbow (1836)
Tate
Tate is inviting London’s taxi drivers to see its once-in-a-generation autumn exhibition Turner and Constable for free.
The exhibition celebrates JMW Turner (1775-1851) and John Constable (1776-1837), the two artists who are widely considered to be Britain’s greatest, on the 250th anniversary of their births. It runs at Tate Britain, Millbank from 27 November 2025 to 12 April 2026.
London’s iconic cab drivers, who regularly trace the routes that Turner and Constable walked, from Turner’s birthplace in Covent Garden, to Hampstead, where Constable lived and painted, will be able to visit the Tate Britain exhibition for free by showing their licensed London taxi badge or TfL Private Hire ID on arrival.
A much-anticipated opportunity to see the artists’ most important works side by side, Turner and Constable reveals the ways they were celebrated, criticised and pitted against each other, painting some of the most iconic images of the natural world ever created. The exhibition will feature key works including Constable’s The White Horse 1819 and Turner’s The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons 1835 which have not been displayed in Britain for decades.
Cab drivers have played an important role in Tate’s history, from helping to put Tate Modern on the map when it opened 25 years ago, to working with drivers across Merseyside to initiate conversations with their passengers about the Turner Prize at Tate Liverpool.
Alex Farquharson, Director of Tate Britain, said: “By launching this major new show at Tate Britain, we hope every schoolchild, family, and tourist will have the opportunity to see these nationally significant artworks that are part of our shared heritage, at Tate Britain, the home of British art. London’s cab drivers have been supporting Tate since we opened in 1897 so there’s no one better placed to spread the word about this unmissable exhibition. We’re delighted to be offering them the chance to experience it.”