J. M. W. Turner : A Biography

In 2005, the British Broadcasting Corporation set out to answer a question that had stirred artists, critics, and the public for centuries: what is the greatest painting in Britain? Every masterpiece displayed in the nation’s galleries was considered—works by English painters as well as those by European masters whose canvases had found a home on British walls. Van Gogh’s Sunflowers made the list. Jan van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait stood tall among the most innovative creations of the Western canon.

Yet when the votes were counted, one painting rose decisively above the rest: The Fighting Téméraire Tugged to Her Last Berth to Be Broken Up, 1838. Its creator was Joseph Mallord William Turner, a man as secretive as he was prolific, and a rival of the celebrated John Constable. Turner’s luminous brushwork transformed landscapes into something more profound—raising them to the same heights once reserved only for historical and religious subjects.

Turner’s art was bold, emotional, and sometimes misunderstood in his own time. But he never doubted his place among the great masters of Europe. More than 150 years after his death, the people of Britain affirmed what he always believed: his vision had changed painting forever.

This book tells the story of Turner’s remarkable life, his relentless drive to elevate landscape painting, and the extraordinary legacy of a man whose work continues to inspire awe around the world.