When he became a member of the Royal Academy Schools, Turner was 14 years old and was already known to the public because of his father. William Gayone Turner, barber and wig-maker, was so proud of his son that he would sell his works of art at his shop in Covent Garden. For his first presentation at the Summer Exhibition in 1790, the painter had chosen his first oil on canvas, a turbulent seascape. Fishermen at Sea fascinated for the dramatic light of the moon and the great virtuosity which gave the admirable illusion of the boats floating, suspended by the thrashing waves. In the future, the Master who elevated landscape painting to such a level as to have it compete with historic paintings in terms of value, went on to exhibit his works at the Royal Academy of Art for his entire life, in contention with Constable for the top spot of landscape painters. Turner often took advantage of the inaugural day of his exhibitions to add final touches to his paintings, an opportunity for an enthusiastic public to watch him transform his pieces before their very eyes.
Peter Grimes returns to London in a contemporary staging focused on the tension between individual and community. Britten’s opera remains a study of how societies construct and enforce exclusion.
At the Royal Albert Hall on 4 and 5 April 2026, the film Interstellar returns to the big screen with Hans Zimmer’s score performed live, transforming the screening into an immersive symphonic experience.
A research-based exhibition at the British Museum reassesses early Netherlandish drawing as a functional tool within artistic production rather than an autonomous work. Technical studies and revised attributions reveal a collective workshop practice and trace the gradual emergence of drawing as an independent medium.
Wimbledon 2026 returns to London, balancing tradition with new technology such as video review. Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic lead a new phase of tennis on the sport’s most iconic grass courts.
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