J.M.W. Turner's most famous paintings
The top 3 according to 69 votes from people: The Fighting Temeraire · Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway · The Slave Ship. (Updated Jun 6, 2022.)
Storms, steam trains and burning parliaments: the Turner canvases that every list includes, and where to see them.
Top 16
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1
The Fighting Temeraire
1839. An old warship towed to be broken up; National Gallery, London.
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2
Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway
1844. A train bursting out of the haze; National Gallery.
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3
The Slave Ship
1840. A typhoon and a crime at sea; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
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4
Dido Building Carthage
1815. He called it his "chef d'oeuvre"; National Gallery.
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5
The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons
1834–1835. He watched Parliament burn and painted it twice.
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6
Snow Storm: Hannibal and His Army Crossing the Alps
1812. A vortex of snow over tiny soldiers; Tate Britain.
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7
Snow Storm – Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth
1842. Turner claimed he was tied to a mast to see the storm.
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8
Norham Castle, Sunrise
c. 1845. Almost pure light and colour; Tate Britain.
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9
The Shipwreck
1805. A dramatic early sea disaster; Tate.
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10
Rome, from Mount Aventine
1835. Sold for £30.3m in 2014, a Turner auction record.
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11
Peace – Burial at Sea
1842. A tribute to the painter David Wilkie; Tate.
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12
Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus
1829. A golden mythological seascape; National Gallery.
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13
The Blue Rigi, Sunrise
1842. A Swiss mountain watercolour bought for the nation in 2007.
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14
Fishermen at Sea
1796. His first oil painting shown at the Royal Academy; Tate.
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15
Calais Pier
1803. Boats fighting the waves at the French port; National Gallery.
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16
Light and Colour (Goethe's Theory)
1843. The morning after the Deluge, inspired by Goethe; Tate.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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Comments (1)
Saw the Fighting Temeraire at the National Gallery last spring, the sunset in person is unreal