Image: The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St. Vincent’s Rock, Bristol (Sotheby’s)
Turner’s first exhibited oil painting sold for over a million as trust explore loan options
Bristol Museums Development Trust has been unsuccessful in its bid to acquire JMW Turner work, despite surpassing its crowdfunding goal.
Its ‘Bring Turner Home’ campaign had initially aimed to raise £100,000 to bid for ‘The Rising Squall, Hot Wells from St Vincent’s Rock, Bristol’, at auction. It was to be displayed at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.
In just one week, over 1,700 donations raised a collective £109,120, allowing the trust to make a bid.
Yesterday the painting went to auction at Sotheby’s, which had initially estimated a sale of between £200,000 – 300,000. The winning bid was a much increased £1.87m.
Writing on the crowdfunding page, the trust wrote: “Thanks to your amazing generosity, combined with major support from cultural funders and individual donors, we were able to go to auction with a substantial bid. It’s been an extraordinary show of public pride, passion for art and belief in Bristol’s cultural story.
“Whilst we were outbid at auction, this isn’t the end. We’re exploring whether the painting could still come to the city on loan, and we are planning a celebration of Turner’s connection to Bristol.”
All donations are currently being refunded. The trust said it had been contacted by many donors who have asked to convert their campaign donation into a more general donation for ongoing works.
Painted when Turner was just 17 years old during his time in Bristol, the painting is the artist’s first exhibited oil painting, shown at the Royal Academy in 1793, and believed to be the only oil painting he ever created of a Bristol scene.
