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JMW Turner: life of the week

JMW Turner: life of the week

Nicola Moorby traces Turner's extraordinary rise from working-class son of a wig-maker to titan of British art

Spencer Mizen

Published: August 5, 2025 at 8:00 AM

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In 2015, the Bank of England asked the British public to nominate a deceased cultural figure they felt deserved the honour of appearing on a banknote. The figure they chose was JMW Turner. So what made Turner such an extraordinary artist? And why do his landscape paintings still resonate today, 250 years on from his birth? Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Nicola Moorby explores the man behind the breathtaking works of art.

Nicola Moorby is the author of Turner and Constable: Art, Life, Landscape (Yale University Press, 2025).

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Authors

Spencer MizenSenior production editor

Spencer is senior production editor of HistoryExtra magazine