The Walker Art Gallery has revealed new details about its major upcoming exhibition, Turner: Always Contemporary (25 October 2025 – 22 February 2026). The landmark exhibition, which marks 250 years since the artist’s birth, will bring internationally important artworks by JMW Turner (1775-1851) and a host of contemporary artists to Liverpool.
The contemporary artworks will demonstrate the enduring impact of Turner on later generations. Visitors can expect to see two sharks by the artist Damien Hirst. Hirst is renowned for his series of artworks in which preserved animals are displayed in tanks filled with formaldehyde. This will be the first time that the artwork, titled Two Similar Swimming Forms in Endless Motion (1993) has been displayed in Liverpool, as well as the first time it’s been displayed alongside Turner paintings.
Also on display will be the painting Gazing Ball (Turner Ancient Rome) (2015) by Jeff Koons. The artwork is a hand-painted recreation of a Turner painting, with a blue reflective glass ball placed on a shelf at the centre. Inspired by his Gazing Ball paintings series, Koons collaborated with Louis Vuitton to produce a line of accessories. Two handbags from the collection, titled Masters, will also be displayed. The exhibition marks the first time that Koons will exhibit a painting from the Gazing Ball series in Liverpool.
Dr Melissa Gustin, Curator of British Art at National Museums Liverpool, said:
“In his lifetime, Turner pushed the boundaries of what it means to paint, and to use it as a means of exploring some of the pressing issues of his day.
“It’s perhaps not surprising that his revolutionary approach would in turn influence some of the greatest living artists of our own generation. We’re looking forward to displaying Turner’s artwork in this context, alongside a diverse and exciting selection of modern masterpieces.”
The exhibition will offer a new perspective on Turner and his legacy, highlighting how he grappled with issues that remain relevant today: climate change; immigration; tourism; and the role of the artist. Visitors will encounter National Museums Liverpool’s collection of Turner’s oil paintings, works on paper and prints, many of which are rarely displayed due to their fragile nature.
Many of the modern and contemporary artworks on show delve into themes of travel, landscape and artistic experimentation. Impressionist paintings by Courbet, Monet and Pissarro can be seen, as well as work by influential women artists including Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Christine Borland, Maggi Hambling, Sheila Fell, Bridget Riley, Annie Swynnerton and Ethel Walker.
Prints by British artist Emma Stibbon, recently acquired by National Museums Liverpool, will also be displayed for the first time. They explore the theme of climate change and the fragility of the arctic environment.
Turner captured the power and changeability of the sea in a remarkable way, and it is perhaps for his immediately recognisable seascapes that he is most renowned. The exhibition charts his changing painting practice, moving from calm coasts in watercolour to raging storms in oil, impacting generations of artists in the process.
For Turner, painting was not just about capturing a picturesque view. He, and the artists inspired or shaped by him, used the world around them to explore the pressing issues of their day, and to push the boundaries of what art could be.
Turner: Always Contemporary will show how his paintings and drawings raise questions about the role of commerce, colonialism and industry that are as relevant now as they were when they were first imagined by the artist. The way people of Turner’s generation engaged with and shaped the lands, rivers and seas still impact us today and can be traced through art.
The exhibition is supported by Lead Partner Quilter Cheviot.
To purchase tickets, visit: liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/turner
Categories: 2025 | Galleries & Exhibitions | News
