The National Galleries of Scotland is celebrating its 250th birthday this year with a special free art exhibit from painter JMW Turner.
The Galleries calls the collection a “once-in-a-lifetime” free exhibition with watercolours from the renowned artist.
One of the most famous British artists of the 19th century, the National Galleries has an annual tradition of displaying Turner’s work each January.
After receiving a collection of his paintings in the early 1900s, they have displayed them each year – halting just a handful of times during war and Covid.
This year, there is a new take on the annual exhibition as part of a special partnership with the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin.
The galleries in Edinburgh and Dublin are swapping their Turner collections, allowing Scots to see Turner works that have never been seen in Edinburgh until now.
The exhibition will include over 30 of the artist’s watercolours from Dublin.
The exhibit, Turner in January: Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest, opened January 1 and will run through the end of the month.
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Turner’s works can be viewed for free by all visitors.
Charlotte Topsfield, exhibition curator at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “Exchanging Vaughan Bequest Turners is an idea that Edinburgh and Dublin have been discussing for a long time.
“We are so excited to be working together on this historic swap in Turner’s anniversary year. It will be such a marvellous celebration for the people of Scotland to enjoy – a real once in a lifetime opportunity to commemorate a very special painter.”
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