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Watercolour at Tate Britain

Challenge your preconceptions.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

The most ambitious exhibition about watercolour ever to be staged, with works spanning 800 years, this boundary-breaking survey celebrates the full variety of ways watercolour has been used. From manuscripts, miniatures and maps through to works showing the expressive visual splendour of foreign landscapes, watercolour has always played a part in British Art.

The exhibition presents a full and fresh assessment on the history and future of watercolour painting by questionning our thoughts on what watercolour stands for, presenting famous and lesser-known works side by side.

Watercolour also offers the chance to see rarely displayed works in all their luminous glory, by artists ranging from JMW Turner and Thomas Girtin to Anish Kapoor and Tracey Emin.

The exhibition ran from 16 February to 21 August at Tate Britain.

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Published 21 May 2012