For the very first time, the work of these two legendary artistic figures will be brought together, revealing the intersecting worlds of artist and author.
In 1775, two icons of British culture were born into an era of huge social change. 250 years later, we celebrate the novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817) and the landscape painter JMW Turner (1775- 1851) in a groundbreaking new exhibition that brings together the work of author and artist for the first time, uncovering their shared interest in the social and cultural life of the British country house and its landscape.
The exhibition imagines an encounter between these legendary figures, whose innovative works documented the Regency world. Through Austen’s and Turner’s eyes, the show explores the experience of the country house in the early nineteenth century, examining the creative impact of their perceptive gazes.
Turner’s famous paintings of Harewood and Harewood’s first edition copy of Sense and Sensibility are presented alongside rarely seen artefacts that highlight the personal experience as well as the colonial connections of the country house.
Loans from public and private collections, some on view in the north for the first time, include period costume, fashion plates, writing and artistic tools, paintings and watercolours, bringing this fascinating era to life. The exhibition will also present contemporary art and creative writing that reflect on how Turner’s and Austen’s creative legacies continue to shape our views of the country house today, in all of its complexities.
Two contemporary award-winning creatives have been commissioned to reflect on Austen and Turner’s legacies in response to artworks, manuscripts and historical objects that bring Austen and Turner together for the first time. Visual artist Lela Harris will produce a new work inspired by the literary world of Jane Austen, and poet and performer Rommi Smith becomes Harewood’s Writer in Residence, reflecting and responding to the themes of the exhibition through poetic form.
Objects on loan
Austen’s and Turner’s work will be represented by a series of major loaned works from public and private collections, some never before exhibited outside of the southeast of England. Among loans from Tate is Turner’s North of England sketchbook, which he used to record views of the Harewood estate. Turner developed his interest in landscape at Harewood and also began to push the technical boundaries of watercolour as a medium. Turner’s hand-made travelling watercolour paint set is loaned from the Royal Academy of Arts, in addition to the artist’s lesser-known paintings depicting country house interiors and its people. Showing alongside are Harewood’s important collection of early country house landscapes by Turner, painted following his invitation to the estate by the Lascelles family in 1797.
Austen’s life and literary works are represented by rarely shown handwritten manuscripts and published works. On loan from the British Library and Jane Austen’s House Museum are letters written by Austen to her sister, Cassandra. Further works belonging to family members include an Austen family music manuscript, and a naval sketchbook and journal belonging to two of her elder brothers, Admiral Sir Francis Austen and Rear Admiral Charles Austen.
Austen’s creative process is revealed by the handwritten manuscript of her final novel, Sanditon. Remaining unfinished at her death in 1817, Sanditon is on loan from King’s College Cambridge, and will be shown alongside first editions of earlier works from different collections, including Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park.
Austen and Turner is co-curated by Harewood House Trust and The Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies at the University of York, with additional advice from independent curatorial consultant, Jade Foster. It is supported by University of York, Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies, York Art History Collaborations, Arts Council England and Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund.
Admission: £18 for adults, £10 for children. Concessions available. £2 Tickets are available for those in receipt of universal credit, pension credit and refugee status (check details for eligibility). Free for Harewood members and under 4s.
URLs:
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/2945495-0?pid=10956
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/2945495-1?pid=10956
Date and Time:
Starts: Fri, May 2, 25 (10:30 AM)
Ends: Sun, Oct 19, 25 ( 4:00 PM)
Venue Details: Harewood House Trust, Leeds, Leeds, England, LS17 9LG, United Kingdom
Category: Arts | Visual Arts | Museum
Prices:
General Admission: GBP 17.00,
Children: GBP 5.00,
Child 0-3: GBP 0.00,
Income Support / Refugee Status: GBP 2.00
Artists / Speakers: Lela Harris, Rommi Smith, Jane Austen, JMW Turner
