Your Support
We have one week to bring Turner’s Bristol masterpiece home.
Our current campaign is Bring Turner Home. This is a one-week public fundraising appeal to acquire The Rising Squall, Hot Wells from St Vincent’s Rock, Bristol (1792), the earliest-known oil painting ever exhibited by JMW Turner, and return it to public ownership in Bristol.
Painted when Turner was just 17, the work shows the Avon Gorge before the construction of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. It is believed to be the only oil painting Turner made of Bristol, and it marks a pivotal moment in his early development. After being out of public view for more than 150 years, the painting was rediscovered during conservation and will be auctioned at Sotheby’s on 2 July 2025.
No council funds will be used. Instead, the museum is launching a one-week Crowdfunder campaign to raise £100,000 towards our bid. If successful, the painting will join the collection at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, where it will be freely accessible to the public and serve as a focal point for education, storytelling, and civic pride.
