Cobby, H (2023) The young Turner: ambitions in architecture and the art of perspective. In: J.M.W. Turner: State of the Field Symposium, 22-23 September 2023, Yale Center for British Art [online].
Abstract
This paper discusses and critiques aspects of the touring exhibition that I curated in 2016 while working at the Ashmolean Museum. This exhibition, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, celebrated and contextualized the Ashmolean’s new acquisition, 'A View of the High Street, Oxford' (1809–10), a unique pinnacle in the artist’s early output and one of his career-stretching commissions to create topographical paintings as designs for engravings. With specific reference to his Oxford Almanack designs, Turner’s first grand- scale commission, this exhibition explored his specific collaborative process of engraving and attempted to address gaps in the literature regarding print culture and associated networks, particularly those in Oxford. The exhibition reevaluated Turner’s initial training and reputation as an architectural draftsman and shed light on his little-known role as professor of perspective at the Royal Academy (for which he began lecturing in 1811, just after painting 'A View of the High Street, Oxford'). The twelve loans from Tate included several of his underexhibited Perspective Diagrams. The exhibition toured to four additional venues, evolving to meet the needs of the collections and visitors at each place. This paper will draw on visitor feedback and the experience of curating and working with regional partners on this multilayered project. Ultimately, I will use the exhibition as a springboard for questioning the role of the curator in building and maintaining Turner’s artistic and historic prominence.
| Item Type: | Conference or Workshop Item (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Divisions: | Professional Services |
| Date Deposited: | 04 Nov 2026 17:39 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Nov 2026 17:41 |
| URN: | https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/18049 |
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