Following the incredible success of last year\u2019s blockbuster exchange
\nwith the National Gallery of Ireland, Scotland\u2019s own much-loved
\nTurners are back in Edinburgh for 2026! <\/p>\n
Bring in the new year with the eagerly awaited return of Turner in January at the
\nNational Galleries of Scotland. Featuring 38 watercolours by renowned artist Joseph
\nMallord William Turner, the highly anticipated free annual display will take pride of
\nplace in room 21 in National Galleries Scotland: National in Edinburgh from 1 – 31
\nJanuary 2026. <\/p>\n
Last year saw thousands of visitors flocking to the National Galleries of Scotland to
\nmarvel at a once in a lifetime exchange of Turner watercolours from the Henry Vaughan
\nBequest with the National Gallery of Ireland, honouring the 250thanniversary of the
\nartist\u2019s birth. January 2026 will mark the triumphant return of Scotland\u2019s Turners to
\nEdinburgh, giving avid fans and newfound admirers the chance to spend time with
\nsome of the most treasured works from the Scottish national collection. <\/p>\n
Turner in January is a beloved tradition for many people in Scotland. It signals the
\ndawning of the New Year, and as we leave behind the darkest days of winter, the bright
\nvitality of Turner\u2019s work is exactly what we need. Scotland\u2019s famous collection of Turner
\nwatercolours was left to the nation by the great art collector Henry Vaughan in 1900.
\nFollowing Vaughan\u2019s strict guidelines, they have only ever been displayed during the
\nmonth of January, when natural light levels are at their lowest. Because of this, these
\nwatercolours still possess a freshness and an intensity of colour almost 200 years since
\nthey were originally created. <\/p>\n
This mesmerising exhibition demonstrates the extraordinary range of Turner\u2019s work in
\nwatercolour, including atmospheric early drawings, experimental colour studies,
\nspellbinding studies for prints and book illustrations and exhibition showstoppers. Born
\nin London in 1775, Turner\u2019s combination of exceptional talent, intellectual curiosity and
\nrelentless hard work resulted in watercolours which capture the sublime beauty of
\nnature and encourage us to look again at the world around us. In a career spanning 50
\nyears, he developed new ways of painting in watercolour and revolutionised ideas of
\nwhat could be achieved in the medium. Experimenting with an array of techniques and
\ncolour, Turner created works which continue to captivate and excite audiences today. <\/p>\n
Turner in Januaryinvites visitors on an exciting, colourful journey, leaving behind
\nJanuary blues in favor of Turner\u2019s views of the world, via moody landscapes, impressive
\ncity views and dramatic seascapes. Travel across Britain, Europe and beyond through a
\ndazzling array of artwork including scenes of the Himalayas, Venice and the Swiss Alps,
\nto places a little closer to home, from a tempestuous view of Loch Coruisk on the Isle of
\nSkye all the way down to serene Melrose in the Scottish Borders. <\/p>\n
This year Turner in January will also feature the picturesque watercolour Virginia Water
\n(about 1829), on long term loan to the National Galleries of Scotland and displayed for
\nthe first time since 2020. The work shows a royal fishing expedition on Virginia Water,
\nthe artificial lake created as a royal pleasure ground in Windsor Great Park, with King
\nGeorge IV\u2019s newly built \u2018Chinese\u2019 Fishing Temple in the background. In the foreground a
\npair of royal swans seem to be chasing away mallard ducks, a visual pun on Turner\u2019s
\nmiddle name. <\/p>\n
Visitors will be able to immerse themselves further into the world of Turner through a
\nSmartify audio highlights guide, returning for 2026. Free to use on mobile devices, this
\naudio guided tour will give fresh insights into the artwork on display, expanding Turner\u2019s
\nideas and inspirations and adding another layer to the Turner in January experience. <\/p>\n
Summer 2026 will also offer an additional opportunity to enjoy Turner\u2019s work at the
\nNational Galleries of Scotland. Join us for an unmissable chance to see one of the
\nartist\u2019s most iconic paintings, Norham Castle, Sunrise, (c. 1845), which will be
\ndisplayed for free at the National for the very first time as part of a special loan from
\nTate. <\/p>\n
Charlotte Topsfield, Senior Curator of British Drawings and Prints at National
\nGalleries of Scotland said: \u201cAfter a year of celebrations for Turner\u2019s 250th birthday and
\nthe huge excitement of the exchange with the National Gallery of Ireland in January
\n2025, we are so pleased to be showing Scotland\u2019s Vaughan Turners and honouring
\nHenry Vaughan\u2019s bequest once again. We hope visitors will enjoy seeing familiar friends
\nand find new inspiration in Turner\u2019s glorious colour and light.\u201d <\/p>\n
Turner in January has been gratefully supported by the players of the People\u2019s
\nPostcode Lottery and the Postcode Culture Trust. Turner in January is a free National
\nGalleries of Scotland exhibition opening to the public at 12pm on Thursday 1 January
\n2026. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Following the incredible success of last year\u2019s blockbuster exchange with the National Gallery of Ireland, Scotland\u2019s own much-loved…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":345943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-345942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=345942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=345942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=345942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=345942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}