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Watercolours

Our historic collection is internationally renowned - and we show some of its highlights

Watercolours

Highlights of the Whitworth’s collection: J.M.W Turner, William Blake, John Robert Cozens and more

This is a past exhibition which ran from 14 February 2015 to 21 February 2016. 

The Whitworth is home to an internationally renowned collection of British watercolours. The greatest benefactor of this collection was John Edward Taylor, who presented and bequeathed 266 watercolours and drawings of the highest quality to the gallery between 1892 and 1912. John Edward Taylor was the owner of the Manchester Guardian (now The Guardian), and his gifts to the Whitworth epitomize how money from industrial and commercial ventures was transformed into cultural wealth, a vital force in both the history of the Whitworth and the city of Manchester it calls home.

This wonderful exhibition shows highlights from Taylor’s collection, including works by three of the most gifted and celebrated exponents of watercolour: 22 works by J. M. W. Turner, seven by William Blake and four by John Robert Cozens.