A brand new exhibition celebrating the life and legacy of a York-born artist who influenced the likes of Turner and Blake will open tomorrow.
York Art Gallery’s next major exhibition Turner, Wedgwood & Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman will open tomorrow, Friday 18 September 2026.
Marking 200 years since the death of York-born artist John Flaxman, the exhibition celebrates his life, work and lasting influence on art and design.
Inside the exhibition
Born in York on 6 July 1755, John Flaxman was one of the defining figures of British art.
Renowned as a draughtsman, designer and sculptor, his work had a profound influence on his contemporary artists including J.M.W. Turner, William Blake, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and fellow York-born artist William Etty – and his celebrated designs for the potter Josiah Wedgwood helped shape some of the most recognisable works of British ceramic art.
“It’s quite an ambitious exhibition,” said senior curator, Dr Beatrice Bertram.
It features over 100 works across, with loans from 16 different lenders, including the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Academy, the V&A, the Barber Institute, Leeds Art Gallery, and Scarborough Art Gallery.
The exhibition features 2D and 3D art
“Flaxman is a York-born artist, and perhaps less well known today than he was in his lifetime,” said Dr Beatrice.
“But on the bicentenary of his death in 1826, we thought it’d be a fantastic opportunity to bring together his work alongside artists he inspired – and those really are household names.
“So my hope is that people will come to this exhibition, perhaps not knowing who Flaxman is or not being particularly familiar with his work, but come away with a newfound interest around an artist whose range and reach of his work was international.
“If you have seen The Odyssey (2026) film, you will recognise some of those scenes which are depicted in the illustrations that he made for Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad, as well as his Dante drawings.”
J.M.W. Turner’s ‘Ulysses deriding Polyphemus – Homer’s Odyssey’
Among the exhibition’s highlights is J.M.W. Turner’s striking ‘Ulysses deriding Polyphemus – Homer’s Odyssey’, from the National Gallery’s collection.
Other key works include Turner’s ‘The Fall of Anarchy’, William Blake’s ‘Beatrice Addressing Dante from the Car’, both on loan from Tate, and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’s ‘Paolo and Francesca’, generously lent by the Barber Institute of Fine Art, together with iconic Wedgwood jasperware designed and modelled by Flaxman.
“I hope from going round the exhibition, you will see the range of work with the marbles, the plasters, the silver gilt shields, the oil on canvas – we’ve got a bit of everything.”
Throughout the autumn and winter months, there will be programme of talks, workshops and events linked to the show’s themes; see the programme of events here.
Be inspired by Flaxman and create your own art
The final room in the exhibition is interactive – where you can be inspired by Flaxman to paint, or move, or draw, or sculpt, or do performance art.
“I hope that some people may know Flaxman, and that if you don’t, come and find out and see all these other interesting artists and works alongside him too.”
Turner, Wedgwood & Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman runs from 18 September 2026 until 17 January 2027 and is included in general admission to York Art Gallery.
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