Decision details

To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Britain’s two most famous artists, J.M.W. Turner and John Constable, Tate Britain is curating the first major exhibition looking at these painters in tandem. Ipswich’s collections will be a prominent feature in this landmark exhibition, Turner and Constable: Two Visions of Landscape, demonstrating the importance of the Ipswich

collection in the British art historical canon.

Ipswich Museums has a long standing and mutually beneficial relationship with Tate, who have supported multiple exhibitions at Christchurch Mansion over the last decade; including the Aspire, Year of Constable project in 2015, a letter of support for the acquisition of Constable’s A Lime Kiln, the cleaning of Constable’s Millstream, and the loan of Auguste Rodin’s The Kiss

for the exhibition Kiss & Tell. Tate have also committed to lending works to Ipswich's exhibitions as well as collaborate on future events to enhance the anniversary year, the details of which are yet to be finalised.

Tate have requested the following for their exhibition:

IPSMG: R.1916.12 - Avenue of Trees, c.1820, oil on canvas

IPSMG: R.1941.72 - The Mill Stream, c.1814, oil on canvas

IPSMG: R.1929.31 - Willy Lott’s House, 29 July 1816, oil on paper laid onto canvas.

The loan of these works would not interfere with the scheduled programme for the Constable 250 exhibition in 2026 at Christchurch Mansion.

Loan commences: 10th November 2025

Loan ends: 28th April 2026

Exhibition dates: 27 Nov 2025 – 12 April 2026

To agree to the loan request.

Reason:

To allow for Ipswich owned artworks to be viewed on a national platform.