16th April 2026
Nicola Moorby
J.M.W. Turner was arguably the greatest practitioner in watercolour the world has ever seen and his achievements still represent the benchmark for artists working today. Yet he left frustratingly few written records of his processes and was notoriously reticent about his methods. One brave soul apparently once asked him the key to being a successful artist and it is recorded that he rather grumpily replied ‘The only secret I have is damned hard work’! This lecture examines Turner’s watercolour practice in detail, unlocking the mysteries behind his exceptional effects.
Nicola Moorby is an art historian and curator, specialising in British art of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Formerly at Tate Britain, she was a major contributor to Tate's online catalogues of the Camden Town Group and the Turner Bequest. An experienced, Arts Society accredited lecturer, she has also appeared as an expert on television and radio including Great Paintings of the World with Andrew Marr (2020 and 2021), Art on the BBC (2022) and Great Art Journeys with Tai Shan Shirenberg (2023). She has published widely, including as co-editor and author of How to Paint Like Turner (Tate Publishing, 2010) and her book, Turner and Constable: Art, Life and Landscape, published by Yale University Press in 2025.
