Turner Contemporary is a visual arts venue in Margate, Kent, England, intended as a contemporary arts space and an impetus for the regeneration of the town. The title commemorates the association of the town with noted landscape painter J. M. W. Turner, who went to school there, and visited throughout his life.
The original designs by Norwegian architects Snøhetta would have made the gallery part of the harbour itself. Some critics, however, questioned the prudence of placing part of Britain's national art treasures in a spot that is exposed to the full fury of the North Sea. The costs of the original design, and controversy over the decision to change its structure from concrete to steel, have led to a legal battle, in an attempt to recover some of the costs. It was later moved to a plot of land adjacent to the harbour, on the site of a boarding house where Turner once stayed.
The building was designed by David Chipperfield,whose design ideas for the 3 storey, 20 metres high gallery were praised unanimously. It was built on the raised promenade following a flood risk analysis. Construction started in 2008, and was completed for opening in April 2011, at a cost of £17.5 million. As many as 10,000 visitors were expected within the museum's opening week and in fact 14,000 people visited in its first weekend.
The scheme has been supported by the artist Tracey Emin, who opened it and was brought up in Margate, and various funding bodies including Kent County Council, with a £6.4 million contribution, Thanet District Council, who provided the land, South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), who provided £4 million the Arts Council England with support to the value of £4.1 million and the European Union. It is the largest dedicated visual arts venue in Kent.
Margate by JMW Turner (1775-1851)
The link between Margate & JMW Turner :
“Where therefore, and in this very town of Margate, he lived, when he chose to be quit of London, and yet not to travel” John Ruskin
Turner’s connection with Margate was the founding inspiration for our organisation. He loved Margate for the sea, the skies, and his landlady Mrs Booth.
He first came to the seaside town aged 11, having been sent by his parents to school in Love Lane in MargateOld Town. He returned to sketch here aged 21 and from the 1820s onwards became a regular visitor.
Location
For Turner, location was of great importance. He remarked to the influential writer and art critic John Ruskin that“…the skies over Thanet are the loveliest in all Europe”. The unique quality of light in this part of Kent drew Turner back time and again.
More than 100 of Turner’s works, including some of his most famous seascapes, were inspired by the East Kent coast. Margate was the starting point for his visits to Europe, and a love of the sea stayed with him all his life.
Mrs Booth
Turner’s relationship with his landlady Mrs Booth (now immortalised by the shell lady at the end of Margate’s Harbour Arm) was clearly special to him - he even called himself ‘Mr Booth’ after the death of her husband.
Mrs Booth’s seafront guest house on Cold Harbour at Rendezvous, where Turner stayed when visiting the town, was originally situated on the same site where our gallery has been built.
From the gallery, everyone will be able to see the fine views over the harbour that Turner saw, capturing the same unique light that inspired his works.
NICE WALK BETWEEN MARGATE AND BROADSTAIRS :
