Inaugural Lecture: Turner’s Modern World
“J.M.W. Turner in the Modern World”
George T.M. Shackelford, deputy director
“To be modern” meant something particular in Britain and the Continent in Turner’s lifetime. In an age where extraordinary technical and industrial advancement were coupled with rapidly evolving social and intellectual structures, it was difficult to remain abreast of the march of time. Turner’s triumphant modernity will be placed in the context of international efforts to discover the “heroism of modern life.”