Turner in January exhibition – The NEN

Opening New Year’s Day: Turner in January triumphantly returns to the National Galleries of Scotland

Turner in January

1 January – 31 January 2026

National Galleries Scotland: National

Free admission

Turner in January | National Galleries of Scotland

Following the incredible success of last year’s blockbuster exchange with the National Gallery of Ireland, Scotland’s own much-loved Turners are back in Edinburgh for 2026!

Bring in the new year with the eagerly awaited return of Turner in January at the National Galleries of Scotland. Featuring 38 watercolours by renowned artist Joseph Mallord William Turner, the highly anticipated free annual display will take pride of place in room 21 in National Galleries Scotland: National in Edinburgh from 1 – 31 January 2026.

Last year saw thousands of visitors flocking to the National Galleries of Scotland to marvel at a once in a lifetime exchange of Turner watercolours from the Henry Vaughan Bequest with the National Gallery of Ireland, honouring the 250^th anniversary of the artist’s birth.

January 2026 will mark the triumphant return of Scotland’s Turners to Edinburgh, giving avid fans and newfound admirers the chance to spend time with some of the most treasured works from the Scottish national collection.

Turner in January is a beloved tradition for many people in Scotland. It signals the dawning of the New Year, and as we leave behind the darkest days of winter, the bright vitality of Turner’s work is exactly what we need.

Scotland’s famous collection of Turner watercolours was left to the nation by the great art collector Henry Vaughan in 1900. Following Vaughan’s strict guidelines, they have only ever been displayed during the month of January, when natural light levels are at their lowest. Because of this, these watercolours still possess a freshness and an intensity of colour almost 200 years since they were originally created.

This mesmerising exhibition demonstrates the extraordinary range of Turner’s work in watercolour, including atmospheric early drawings, experimental colour studies, spellbinding studies for prints and book illustrations and exhibition showstoppers.

Born in London in 1775, Turner’s combination of exceptional talent, intellectual curiosity and relentless hard work resulted in watercolours which capture the sublime beauty of nature and encourage us to look again at the world around us.

In a career spanning 50 years, he developed new ways of painting in watercolour and revolutionised ideas of what could be achieved in the medium. Experimenting with an array of techniques and colour, Turner created works which continue to captivate and excite audiences today.

Turner in January invites visitors on an exciting, colourful journey, leaving behind January blues in favor of Turner’s views of the world, via moody landscapes, impressive city views and dramatic seascapes.

Travel across Britain, Europe and beyond through a dazzling array of artwork including scenes of the Himalayas, Venice and the Swiss Alps, to places a little closer to home, from a tempestuous view of Loch Coruisk on the Isle of Skye all the way down to serene Melrose in the Scottish Borders.

This year Turner in January will also feature the picturesque watercolour Virginia Water (about 1829), on long term loan to the National Galleries of Scotland and displayed for the first time since 2020.

The work shows a royal fishing expedition on Virginia Water, the artificial lake created as a royal pleasure ground in Windsor Great Park, with King George IV’s newly built ‘Chinese’ Fishing Temple in the background.

In the foreground a pair of royal swans seem to be chasing away mallard ducks, a visual pun on Turner’s middle name.

Visitors will be able to immerse themselves further into the world of Turner through a Smartify audio highlights guide, returning for 2026. Free to use on mobile devices, this audio guided tour will give fresh insights into the artwork on display, expanding Turner’s ideas and inspirations and adding another layer to the Turner in January experience.

Summer 2026 will also offer an additional opportunity to enjoy Turner’s work at the National Galleries of Scotland. Join us for an unmissable chance to see one of the artist’s most iconic paintings, Norham Castle, Sunrise, (c. 1845), which will be displayed for free at the National for the very first time as part of a special loan from Tate.

Charlotte Topsfield, Senior Curator of British Drawings and Prints at National Galleries of Scotland said: “After a year of celebrations for Turner’s 250th birthday and the huge excitement of the exchange with the National Gallery of Ireland in January 2025, we are so pleased to be showing Scotland’s Vaughan Turners and honouring Henry Vaughan’s bequest once again.

“We hope visitors will enjoy seeing familiar friends and find new inspiration in Turner’s glorious colour and light.”

Turner in January has been gratefully supported by the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery and the Postcode Culture Trust. Turner in January is a free National Galleries of Scotland exhibition opening to the public at 12pm on Thursday 1 January 2026.

Opening New Year’s Day: Once in a lifetime swap for Turner watercolours

Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest comes to Scotland for the first time

Turner in January: Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest

National Galleries Scotland exhibition in the Royal Scottish Academy building

1 – 31 January 2025

Open 12pm – 5pm New Year’s Day, 10am – 5pm from 2 January 2025

Admission free

Turner in January | Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest | National Galleries of Scotland

From New Year’s Day 2025, National Galleries of Scotland is kicking off the 250th birthday of much-loved artist, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), with a special celebration.

Visitors to the treasured Turner in January exhibition can marvel at a new selection of over 30 watercolours that have never been seen before in Scotland, in an exchange with the National Gallery of Ireland.

Turner in January: Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest, opens at the Royal Scottish Academy building in Edinburgh at midday on 1 January 2025. The free exhibition includes a watercolour of Edinburgh from 1801 that has never been displayed in the city before.

This once in a lifetime exhibition is a celebratory take on a keenly awaited and much-loved annual tradition that has been taking place since 1901.

Renowned art collector Henry Vaughan owned over 200 drawings, watercolours and prints by Turner, which he divided in his will between galleries in Edinburgh, Dublin and London. 38 of these watercolours were given to the people of Scotland, on the condition that they are only displayed in the month of January, when light levels are at their lowest. Because of this, these works still possess a freshness and an intensity of colour, almost 200 years since they were created.

Now, in an exciting exchange, simultaneous exhibitions will see Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest make a special trip to the National Galleries of Scotland, while Scotland’s Vaughan Bequest will go on display at the National Gallery of Ireland. Those familiar with Turner in January are sure to notice how both collections complement each other. Visitors will be able to marvel in sweeping seascapes, dramatic landscapes and spectacular cities.

The most famous British artist of the 19^th Century, Turner’s career spanned over 50 years. He experimented constantly with technique and colour, creating landscapes that still astonish today. In his younger years Turner toured Britain extensively, as war made travel to Europe impossible.

He first travelled abroad in 1802 and from 1819 onwards he undertook sketching tours abroad almost every year, visiting France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.

The panoramic Edinburgh from below Arthur’s Seat (1801) will be on display in the city it depicts for the first time. A moody view of Auld Reekie captured on Turner’s first visit to Edinburgh in the summer of 1801, dark storm clouds loom over Edinburgh Castle, rain pouring on the horizon as cows drink peacefully in the foreground.

When Turner first visited the Alps in 1802, the trip transformed his understanding of landscape, which was reflected in his boundary-pushing depiction of the mountains, rocks and glaciers.

In The Great Fall of the Reichenbach, Switzerland (1802), Turner emphasises the sublime drama and majestic height of the 200-hundred-foot waterfall by including a tiny, ant-like figure on a rocky outcrop to indicate scale.

Both the Scottish and Irish Vaughan Bequests include expressive watercolours painted on Turner’s visit to the Aosta valley in the Alps in 1836, where the artist uses a great variety of watercolour techniques – scratching out, sponging out and working freely in wet watercolour – to depict his beloved mountains.

Venice, city of light and water, held a special fascination for Turner. His third and final visit was in August 1840, when the stormy summer weather inspired a series of tempestuous watercolours recording dramatic atmospheric effects around the city. Storm at the Mouth of the Grand Canal (1840) comes to Edinburgh from Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest.

Also on exhibition will be The Doge’s Palace and Piazzetta, Venice (1840), a golden evening view of gondolas and fishing boats clustered against the backdrop of Venice’s most celebrated buildings.

Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest includes outstanding examples of watercolours created to be engraved and published as a print series. A highlight of the exhibition will be A Ship against the Mewstone, at the Entrance to Plymouth Sound (c.1814), from Picturesque Views on the Southern Coast of England.

A Royal Navy ship is shown labouring in heavy swell at a notorious danger point on the Devon coast. In this series, Turner aimed to record the landscape and working lives of places and people living along the south coast. In Clovelly Bay, North Devon (c.1822), another jewel-like watercolour from the same series, he shows in great detail the work of quarrying limestone.

Also on show will be A Shipwreck off Hastings (c.1825), which was probably produced for Turner’s Ports of England print series.

Turner in January: Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest truly is a first for Scotland, with most displayed in their original frames and even Henry Vaughan’s original display cabinet.

Charlotte Topsfield, exhibition curator at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “Exchanging Vaughan Bequest Turners is an idea that Edinburgh and Dublin have been discussing for a long time.

“We are so excited to be working together on this historic swap in Turner’s anniversary year.

“It will be such a marvelous celebration for the people of Scotland to enjoy – a real once in a lifetime opportunity to commemorate a very special painter.”

Anne Hodge, exhibition curator at the National Gallery of Ireland said: “I am delighted that in January 2025 visitors to the National Galleries Scotland will be able to see Turner’s wonderfully expressive vision of a rainy Edinburgh along with all 31 watercolours that Henry Vaughan decided to leave to Dublin.

“It is a great privilege for me to have worked so closely with colleagues in Edinburgh to make this project a reality.”

Turner in January: Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest opens at the Royal Scottish Academy building at 12pm on 1 January and is free to visit.

This exhibition has been created in partnership with the National Gallery of Ireland. It is supported thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery and Sir Ewan and Lady Christine Brown.

National Galleries of  Scotland prepares to welcome in the new year with beloved annual tradition Turner in January

Turner in January 

1 January 2024 – 31 January 2024 

A National Galleries of Scotland exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy 

Admission free 

Turner in January | National Galleries of Scotland

Opening New Year’s Day 2024, the National Galleries of Scotland celebrates the return of their keenly awaited annual display, Turner in January.

Taking pride of place in one of the upper galleries of Edinburgh’s Royal Scottish Academy, Joseph Mallord William Turner’s watercolours from the Scottish national collection will be exhibited throughout the month of January, free for the public to enjoy. Turner in January is a beloved tradition for many people in Scotland. It signals the dawning of the New Year, and as we leave behind the darkest days of winter, the bright vitality of Turner’s work is exactly what we need.  

Scotland’s famous collection of Turner watercolours was left to the nation by the great art collector Henry Vaughan in 1900. Since then, following Vaughan’s strict guidelines, they have only ever been displayed during the month of January, when natural light levels are at their lowest. Because of this, these watercolours still possess a freshness and an intensity of colour, almost 200 years since they were originally created.  

With almost 40 watercolours on display, including dramatic landscapes from the Himalayas, the Swiss Alps, and the Isle of Skye, visitors will journey through Britain, Europe and beyond, leaving behind January blues in favor of Turner’s idyllic views of the world.

Turner in January will also include a Smartify audio highlights guide, a brand-new addition to the exhibition for 2024. Freely available on their devices, visitors can immerse themselves further into Turner’s work through this highlighted guided tour of the exhibition, giving fresh insights and expanding on what is presented on the gallery walls.

This mesmerising exhibition captures the essence of the life and career of the 19^th century London-born artist, with the works on display covering the breadth of Turner’s artistic talents. In a career spanning 50 years, Turner developed new ways of painting in watercolour and revolutionised ideas of what could be achieved in the medium.

Through a combination of exceptional talent and incredible hard work, he was able to capture in paint the sublime beauty of the natural world. Turner experimented with an array of techniques and colour, creating works which continue to captivate and excite audiences today.

Charlotte Topsfield, Senior Curator of British Drawings and Prints at National Galleries of Scotland said: “Henry Vaughan personally selected the watercolours in the bequest to share the full range and richness of Turner’s work with the widest audience.

“From early landscape drawings to glorious colour studies, delicate literary illustrations and visionary late watercolours, Vaughan’s Turners wonderfully demonstrate the artist’s infinite creativity and technical skill.

“Putting the Turner watercolours on show is a highlight of my year and I hope that it brings everyone else as much pleasure!”

Isabella Miller, Director of Audience at the National Galleries of Scotland said: “Turner in January brings with it an uplifting start to a new year at the National Galleries of Scotland.

“It’s with great joy we witness the excitement from our returning visitors, along with the wonder this display brings to those discovering it for the very first time. Turner in January honors the legacy of Henry Vaughan’s bequest, while creating a now treasured tradition for many.

“It’s also a wonderful opportunity to marvel in the skill of our conservation and curatorial teams, who ensure the year-round care of these beloved watercolours, allowing them to be displayed and enjoyed each January.”

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: The yearly celebration of Turner’s watercolors invites us to enjoy vibrant colours, showcasing the beauty of our natural world.

“From the Swiss Alps to the Isle of Skye, the exhibition offers an uplifting escape from any January blues. I’m delighted that support from Postcode Lottery players, who have now raised over £5 million for National Galleries of Scotland, is making art and exhibitions like this free and accessible for all.”

Turner in January is open to the public from 12pm on Monday 1 January.