Curator's Talk: Turners for Scotland: Edinburgh’s Vaughan Bequest

Discover more about the exhibition Turner's Watercolours: Scotland's Vaughan Bequest with Charlotte Topsfield, Senior Curator of British Drawings and Prints at National Galleries of Scotland.

JMW Turner had an enduring relationship with Scotland, visiting on six occasions and collaborating with the country’s most famous living writer, Sir Walter Scott. Henry Vaughan’s bequest of 38 Turner watercolours to the National Galleries of Scotland in 1900 transformed the representation of the artist’s work in Scotland and ensured his long-lasting popularity. Charlotte Topsfield, Senior Curator of British Drawings and Prints at National Galleries of Scotland, will explore the Turner watercolours in Edinburgh’s Vaughan Bequest, with a particular focus on the Scottish connections. 

To mark the 250th anniversary of Turner’s birth, the National Gallery of Ireland is undertaking an exciting exchange with the National Galleries of Scotland. In January 2025, the National Galleries of Scotland’s group of 38 Vaughan Bequest Turner watercolours will go on display in the Print Gallery at the National Gallery of Ireland. At the same time, the National Galleries of Scotland will display the National Gallery of Ireland’s Turner collection in their Royal Scottish Academy building. The two exhibitions will provide visitors with a rare opportunity to view a new selection of Turner’s masterful watercolours from Henry Vaughan’s renowned collection, in familiar surroundings. This exchange, very much in the spirit of Vaughan's generous bequest, comes as a result of many years of discussion and planning by the two institutions.

Turner’s Watercolours: Scotland’s Vaughan Bequest is proudly supported by Grant Thornton, Turner Exhibitions Partner.