Learn about the behind the scenes creation of this landmark anniversary exhibition as well as exploring the relationship between the two artists with Dr Amy Concannon, Senior Curator of Historic British Art at Tate.
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.
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.
Dr. Amy Concannon
As Manton Senior Curator of Historic British Art at Tate, Amy leads a team of curators working on pre-1915 British art at Tate. She is a specialist in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British art, particularly landscape, and has curated a range of exhibitions and displays for Tate.
These include Turner’s Modern World (2020), William Blake (2019) and Late Turner (2014).
Her PhD thesis (University of Nottingham, 2018) used Constable as a starting point to explore the visual culture of the urban landscape in the first half of the nineteenth century.
Before joining Tate in 2012 she completed an MA at the Courtauld Institute of Art and worked at Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere, where she is now a Trustee.
Tate Britain's step-free entrance is on Atterbury Street. It has automatic sliding doors and there is a ramp down to the entrance with central handrails.
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To help plan your visit to Tate Britain, have a look at our visual story. It includes photographs and information about what you can expect from a visit to the gallery.
For more information before your visit:
- Email hello@tate.org.uk
- Call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 (daily 10.00–17.00)
