On the Landscape

Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851), Château de Rinkenberg, on the Lac de Brienz, Switzerland, 1809, watercolor on paper. Taft Museum of Art, Bequest of Charles Phelps Taft and Anna Sinton Taft, 1931.388

Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851), Folkestone, Kent, about 1822, watercolor on paper. Taft Museum of Art, Bequest of Charles Phelps Taft and Anna Sinton Taft, 1931.385

Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851), Coblenz, 1842, watercolor on paper. Cincinnati Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Hanna, 1956.112

Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851), The Whale on Shore, about 1837, watercolor on paper. Taft Museum of Art, Bequest of Charles Phelps Taft and Anna Sinton Taft, 1931.382

Jedburgh Abbey

Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851), Jedburgh Abbey, about 1832, watercolor on paper. Taft Museum of Art, Bequest of Charles Phelps Taft and Anna Sinton Taft, 1931.383

Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851), Lake of Thun, about 1845–51, watercolor and pencil on paper. Taft Museum of Art, Bequest of Charles Phelps Taft and Anna Sinton Taft, 1931.390

Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851), Lyme Regis, Dorsetshire, England, about 1834, watercolor on paper. Cincinnati Art Museum, Gift of Emilie L. Heine in memory of Mr. and Mrs. John Hauck, 1940.953

Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851), Weissenthurm and the Hoche Monument, 1817, watercolor and gouache on paper. Taft Museum of Art, Bequest of Jane Taft Ingalls, 1962.8

Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851), The Death of Lycidas—“Vision of the Guarded Mount,” about 1834, watercolor on paper. Taft Museum of Art, Bequest of Charles Phelps Taft and Anna Sinton Taft, 1931.384

Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851), Jedburgh Abbey, about 1832, watercolor on paper. Taft Museum of Art, Bequest of Charles Phelps Taft and Anna Sinton Taft, 1931.383

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J. M. W. Turner: Watercolor Horizons
Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St.
March 1–June 15

General admission is free for Taft members, military, and youth (17 and under); $15 for adults; and $12 for seniors. Admission is free on Sundays and Mondays. For tickets and information visit taftmuseum.org/Turner250.

Special programs:

Create & Play | The Art of Watercolor
Thursday, March 19, 10:15 a.m.

FREE! Family Funday | Earth Day Art
Sunday, April 13, 10 a.m.–4p.m.

Afternoon Tea | British National Tea Day
Friday, April 18, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Curator Talk & Tour | Watercolor Horizons
Featuring Tamera Lenz Muente
Wednesday, April 23 & May 21, 11 a.m.–12p.m.

A full listing can be found at taftmuseum.org/Turner250.

Looking for a Spring Break destination without breaking the bank? Consider making an epic trip to see European vistas without leaving the city!

The Taft Museum of Art and the Cincinnati Art Museum are celebrate the 250th anniversary of James Mallord William Turner’s birth with a special exhibition of the painter’s incredible watercolors.

J. M. W. Turner: Watercolor Horizons is the first exhibition to bring together the entirety of the two museums’ luminous works by Turner in this medium.

The dozen paintings in Watercolor Horizons feature views of Switzerland, Germany, France, England, Scotland, and Italy. The exhibition explores Turner’s skill with a brush on paper through these remarkable landscapes, examples of his innovative techniques, and painting tools from the era on loan from local collections.

“J. M. W. Turner: Watercolor Horizons is a rare opportunity to see these treasures up close and in person. Each is filled with exquisite color and mind-blowing details that you can examine with magnifying glasses we’ll have in the gallery. Paired with a tea from the café or a family program, the Turner birthday experience at the Taft is one not to miss!” says the exhibition’s curator Tamera Lenz Muente.

Considered one of Britain’s greatest landscape painters, Turner (English, 1775–1851) was a master of the art of watercolor. A prolific artist and intrepid traveler, he was especially drawn to mountains, alpine lakes, glaciers, river valleys, and the sea, as well as the human presence within these dramatic settings.