An appeal was held to buy it for the city but it was outbid at auction
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery has failed in its attempts to persuade a mystery buyer to lend it a Turner for public display(Image: Bristol City Council)
The mystery buyer who snapped up a Turner painting the council hoped to bring to Bristol, has refused to lend it to the city’s Museum & Art Gallery. The owner outbid everyday Bristolians, who fundraised to buy a painting of the city by J.M.W Turner.
Instead, the gallery is preparing to put on an exhibition of four rare watercolour paintings by the artist to thank those who donated to the effort to Bring Turner Home.
The council-run gallery raised more than £109,000 from over 1,700 public donations in just one week, which together with national funding and private donations allowed it to put together a £1.4m bid for ‘The Rising Squall’ artwork during an auction at Sotheby’s on July 2. But a private collector won the race to secure the painting, which was rediscovered in 2024 after being lost for over 150 years.
Philip Walker, head of culture and creative industries at the council, said: “Bring Turner Home was the most ambitious fundraising campaign we’ve ever attempted, and we were overwhelmed by the support it received. While we’d still love the new owner to loan us The Rising Squall, this exhibition is our way of thanking supporters and celebrating Turner’s deep connection to Bristol.”
The new exhibition will be called Prince of the Rocks, after a nickname Turner acquired when he explored the Avon Gorge during a visit to the city in 1761, aged 16. The four watercolours which will form the centrepiece of the exhibition have not been on public display for over a decade due to their fragile condition.
The gallery failed in its bid to bring The Rising Squall ‘home’ earlier this year(Image: Bristol City Council)
A museum spokesperson said they hoped the new exhibition would inspire The Rising Squall’s owner to lend them the work.
“We would still love the opportunity to have The Rising Squall in Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, following the overwhelming support our campaign to secure it at auction received,” the spokesperson said. “There is no news at this stage, but we are hoping this exhibition will be another way of showing the new owner of the painting how much it means to Bristol.”
The watercolours to be displayed in the new exhibition are:
View of Bristol from the South-EastSouth Porch of St Mary RedcliffeAvon Gorge and Bristol HotwellThe Mouth of the Avon, near Bristol, seen from Cliffs below Clifton
“With Prince of the Rocks, we can now share (Turner’s) own Bristol watercolours, fragile works that rarely go on display, and mark his enduring legacy in this city,” Mr Walker said.
Turner prints will also be featured, as will works by other painters including Bristol artist Samuel Jackson. Fossils and quartz found in Avon Gorge will be displayed, along with unique plants and taxidermies of notable animals to visit the Gorge such as the peregrine falcon.
The Rising Squall is notable for being Turner’s first work using oil. It features a view of the Hot Wells spring and spa from the eastern bank of the River Avon. The unidentified winning bidder paid £1.87m, nearly eight times the original estimate price, for the painting.
All of the crowdfunded money was returned to public donors after the Museum and Art Gallery’s unsuccessful bid. The council did not spend ratepayers’ money on the auction.
Councillor Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council, said: “I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the people of Bristol for rallying behind our campaign. Their support reflects the pride we all share in our commitment to making world-class art accessible to everyone. I look forward to the Turner watercolours coming out on display and sharing the opportunity with everyone to enjoy them.”
Prince of the Rocks: JMW Turner and the Avon Gorge runs from 27 September 2025 to 11 January 2026 in the Temporary Exhibition Gallery 2, First Floor at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. Entry is free.