Water Into Art: British Watercolours from the V&A 1750-1950

Water into Art: British Watercolours from the V&A presents a rare opportunity to view a rich selection of watercolours from the Victoria and AlbertMuseum in London. Watercolour painting has retained a distinctive identity and history in Britain since the late 18th century, and was deemed a “national art’ in the 19th century. Watercolour was chosen as the primary means of expression by many artists of the period because of the way the medium could be handled and the effects that could be achieved, making it ideal for both meticulous detail and expansive atmospheric effects.

Featuring 100 works created between 1750 and 1950, this exhibition includes small sketches and studies as well as fully realized works, and features works by all of the leading painters of this period. Among the works are literary illustrations by William Blake, landscapes by J.M.W. Turner and nature studies by William Henry Hunt, each selected to highlight the breadth and diversity of British watercolour artists and of the V&A’s impressive collection holdings.