“Turner and Constable,” an exhibition at London’s Tate Britain showcasing works by JMW Turner and John Constable, has caused a stir by attracting some 185,000 people since it opened in November. Now, it turns out that one of those visitors was none other than King Charles himself.
The Tate announced on Friday that he visited the show on Tuesday, confirming reports in the British media that Amy Concannon, the Museum Network’s senior curator of British historical art, visited his “Turner and Constable” exhibition.
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according to independentKing said “Wow” at one of Turner’s paintings, whose seascapes and landscapes edged dangerously close to abstraction – an avant-garde gesture from the early to mid-19th century, when his career was at its peak. The job that awes him is Storm rises, hot well (1792), which Turner composed while still in his teens. It is one of nearly 200 works on display at the Tate Gallery.
The painting was thought to have been lost before it was sold at Sotheby’s last year, with Bristol Museum and Art Gallery failing to bid, and it was eventually sold for £1.9 million. Prior to the auction, the painting was located in Tasmania.
“How many more of them are lurking in Australia or elsewhere?” King Charles reportedly asked. The jovial Concannon responded with a laugh: independent explain.
Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain, was also on hand and said in a statement: “We are honored to host His Majesty the King and delighted to see him so deeply involved in this exhibition. This is a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition, dedicated to commemorating the 250th anniversary of Turner and Constable’s births. Since opening in November, we have been overwhelmed by the incredible response from visitors, academics, artists and now from the King himself!”
