Turner art puts Brighton and Hove's past in focus

Turner in Brighton will bring together a range of works by the eminent artist along with works by John Constable, William Daniell and John Nash.

The centrepiece will be Brighthelmston, Sussex, above, a postcard-sized watercolour which was bought last year at auction for £225,000.

Curators claim the exhibition organised by Brighton and Hove City Council’s Royal Pavilion and Museums service will show Brighton’s development as a seaside resort through the eyes of leading 19th Century artists.

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Councillor Geoffrey Bowden, chairman of the council’s economic development and culture committee, said: “We are thrilled that local residents and visitors from this country and across the world will now be able to enjoy the painting, and see it in the wider context of a collection of views of Brighton by Turner and other artists of his day.”

The watercolour, which was in private ownership for more than a century, was bought for the city with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the Art Fund and the Royal Pavilion and Museums Foundation. This meant it did not cost the taxpayer a penny.

It was briefly put on show last year immediately after the purchase.

But this will be the first time the watercolour, painted in 1824, has been shown alongside other work by Turner.

Ian Warrell, a Turner expert and curator of the exhibition, said: “Turner’s visits to Brighton were always short, and so his experience of the seaside resort was probably not much different from that of most tourists today, focusing almost exclusively on the sights of its seafront.

“This makes it all the more remarkable that he could produce such a powerful image of Brighton.

“Though it is quite small, his watercolour is packed with details that provide a snapshot of the town and its attractions as it was in 1824.”

The exhibition is in the Prince Regent Gallery on the first floor of the Royal Pavilion. It will open on November 2 and run until March 2.