The first major exhibition of J.M.W. Turner works opened at The National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) in Beijing on 23 April 2009, the result of a partnership between the British Council, Tate and NAMOC. Details of the exhibition were announced earlier in 2009 by Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the UK-China Summit.

J. M. W. Turner: Oils and Watercolours from Tate Britain was the first comprehensive exhibition of Turner’s works to be shown in China. The works were predominantly from the Turner Bequest. The project follows closely on the heels of the same Turner exhibition being shown at the Pushkin Museum, Moscow - another Tate and British Council collaboration which was named 'the exhibition of the year' by Russian critics and received over 100,000 visitors.

Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council said: 'I have just returned from China where I was thrilled to see our work flourishing. China will be an important economic partner for the UK over the coming years and cultural ties will be vital to maintaining strong links. This exhibition forms part of a wider approach to building understanding between the two countries. As the cultural relationship between China and the UK continues to strengthen I am hugely optimistic about future partnerships in the arts and creative industries between the two countries.

'Cultural relations foster the trust and cooperation that contribute to a safer, more prosperous world and I am proud of the central role the British Council is playing in bringing one of the UK’s most respected artists to the Chinese people.'

Stephen Deuchar, Director of Tate Britain said: 'The Turner exhibition in China is a momentous event and the outcome of several years of fruitful discussion with our colleagues at NAMOC. We are delighted that thousands of people in China will now have the opportunity to experience the power and the subtlety of these works by one of the great masters of Western art'.

J.M.W. Turner (1775 - 1851) is considered to be one of the greatest painters Britain has ever produced. Tate loaned approaching 112 major works, all of which are oil paintings and works on paper, to China. The show featured Snow Storm: Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps 1812, one of Turner’s finest achievements, and The Decline of the Carthaginian Empire. It also included some of his most celebrated canvases, most notably the oil, Norham Castle, Sunrise circa 1845.

J. M. W. Turner: Oils and Watercolours from Tate Britain exhibited from 23 April - 28 June 2009. The exhibition was curated by Tate Britain Curator, Ian Warrell, working with Xu Hong, Deputy Director of the Curatorial and Research Department at NAMOC, with the British Council managing the exhibition whilst in China.

The British Council has a strong recent history in bringing great British art to China. In the last decade it has shown: Henry Moore in 2000-01, Antony Gormley: Asian Field in 2003, and Aftershock, an exhibition selected by Chinese curators which introduced a young generation of British artists, including Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Mark Wallinger, to a Chinese audience in 2006-07.

Please see our British Council China webpages for more information.