Exterior of Turner ContemporaryImage 1 of 5

Family learning activities at Turner ContemporaryImage 2 of 5

Turner Contemporary seen from Margate BeachImage 3 of 5

The Kiss by Auguste Rodin on display at Turner ContemporaryImage 4 of 5

Dancers performing at the Turner ContemporaryImage 5 of 5

 

 

 

 

 

Overview

Turner Contemporary is hard to miss if you approach from the railway station, standing as it does at the end of the sandy bay for which the town is famous. David Chipperfield’s building, functional and understated from the outside, turns its face towards the sea. Once inside, you get panoramic views of waves, clouds, passing boats and seagulls. The rooms are suffused with the light that mesmerised Turner when he visited Margate in the 1820s, staying at Mrs Booth’s guesthouse, which stood on the site.

The local authority is hoping that the gallery, which opened its doors on 17 April, will create a ‘Guggenheim Bilbao’ effect, giving a boost to urban regeneration, lifting spirits and bringing money into a town that has certainly seen better days.

Don't miss

Turner Contemporary has no permanent collection of its own, so will rely on loans and its partnership with Tate for a generous supply of Turners. There will be a minimum of three exhibitions each year, focusing on art from 1750 to the present that has a dialogue with Turner’s work and legacy. The gallery promises that there will always be at least one Turner on show at all times.

The gallery’s first major exhibition devoted to Turner is Turner and the Elements (28 January–13 May 2012) and features 70 watercolours and oil paintings that show a combination of the elements, relating them to the scientific discoveries of the artist’s day.

Visitor information

There’s a café with an outdoor terrace, where sea breezes whet the appetite. It serves breakfast, lunch, teas and early suppers, and offers a takeaway service if you want to take your snack onto the beach. The well-stocked shop sells books, contemporary jewellery and gifts.

Visitors to the gallery can now receive 10% off all purchases at the Turner Contemporary shop with National Art Pass. 

Turner Contemporary nominated for Art Fund Prize 2012.