Turner and Constable Exhibit at Tate

I haven't been to this exhibition, but I can have a go at speculating about some of your questions from prior experience. I don't remember anyone posting on the forum that has seen the Turner and Constable exhibition as yet.

-How crowded do the rooms get? Or lines into Tate?

I wouldn't expect it to be terribly busy midweek in February. One of the advantages of Tate Britain over, say, The National Gallery is the lower visitor numbers. It rarely tends to be very crowded. It's right in the middle of the run of the exhibition and February is a quieter time across all the museums. I wouldn't necessarily aim for 10am on the dot for it opening. If there is any line, it would generally be from people waiting to get in when the doors open. I'd maybe schedule breakfast at The Regency Cafe and aim for 10:30.

-Is the iPhone audio guide suggested on the Tate website useful / helpful?

Tate's audio guides are usually pretty well produced. It's worth downloading ahead of your visit and having a set of headphones to give it a try.

-Is there written information on the walls for each or many paintings (my eyesight is not great for reading those commentaries)?

There will be some information (interpretation) written by each painting. It may just be the title and a date, or something more. Tate went through a period of absolutely minimal interpretation on the wall, which it was criticised for a while back. I'm not sure how they're producing exhibitions right now. Most of the interpretation will be in the app, rather than on the wall.

-Is there a pamphlet to accompany the walk through (before the shop at the end)?

There will be a pamphlet when you claim your tickets before going in, or at the entry to the exhibition. Tate produce nice exhibition catalogues which you may want to buy at the end.

-Would it be good to break up the visit over two days

That would be up to you. The average person is going to see it in one visit.

if anyone has read the recently published book on Turner and Constable by Nicola Moorby I would love to know

I haven't, no. Check out the catalogue when you visit though. A catalogue for an exhibition like this will have some writing about the work and should have well reproduced pictures.

Gerry,
Many thanks for your thoughtful comments. I appreciate your taking the time to post. We are taking all of your comments into account for our visit. We are very excited about seeing this exhibit. Happy holidays to you!

No worries.

I'll paste a link in Google Maps to The Regency Cafe. It's only a few minutes walk from Tate Britain.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/7vqaH9eW9cq8KD3u7

As OP is a Tate member, I'm sure they know this, but for casual readers remember there are TWO Tate museums in London: Tate Modern and Tate Britain. I love Tate Britain and I hope OP has a great day there.

As for the specific questions, I can't speak for this particular Constable/Turner exhibit, but for Tate Britain in general:

• Rooms can get crowded (sometimes too crowded for me). Tip is to go early or late in the day.
• Can't answer. Personally I never use audio guides as they slow me down too much. But for some that might be a good thing.
• The written cards on the wall next to each painting give minimal information, like artist, title, year and medium. Some of the more important paintings have longer commentaries. I agree, though, the type is often quite small.
• The free pamphlet is really just a map of the rooms, not a commentary about the paintings. You might be able to buy such a thing, I don't know.
• As much as I love art galleries, I cannot imagine spending two days at Tate Britain. For me it was a half day. The only gallery I've never been able to see all I wanted to see in a day was the Louvre.

Has anyone here been to similar Tate exhibitions and can give an idea of how long a visit usually takes if you’re really taking your time with each piece?

I'd guess the average exhibition is geared towards seeing in maybe two hours or so. Longer if you're really taking your time. It depends on the individual.

If it helps, I Googled and the Turner and Constable exhibition has 170 works in 12 rooms.

edit: Darren reminded me that the OP is a member. The Members' Room at Tate Britain is lovely. Great place for a cup of tea if you're taking a break from the paintings.

I was just at the Tate Britain last week. I did not attend the Turner/Constable special exhibition, but I did note that tickets for weekend entries were sold out at least a day in advance. I arrived around noon on Monday and the earliest available entry for the exhibit was around 15:30. If the exhibit is typically sold out, doesn't that imply that it's usually at close to maximum capacity?

I focused on the permanent Turner rooms during my visit, and while sharing the space with others, it was in no way crowded. From the outside, there was minimal foot traffic in and out of the building - at both entrances. Overall, London was crawling with pre-Christmas tourists, but they weren't making their way to the Tate.

I did note that tickets for weekend entries were sold out at least a day in advance. I arrived around noon on Monday and the earliest available entry for the exhibit was around 15:30.

Maybe doing better than I thought then. I've been to exhibitions at Tate Britain in the past which were very, very quiet. This one does have quite a broad appeal, with its double whammy of well known English artists.

Mark, thank you for commenting. That’s helpful, and I appreciate your response. Kind of a separate question from my exhibit question: Since you are a Turner fan, do you recall if there is a still small room dedicated only to Turners’s watercolors? A year ago there was a room highlighting his experimental watercolor work on blue-toned paper. The paintings were all very small and quite intricate. It was fascinating to see how he experimented with his media and the astonishing results he achieved. Hope it is still shown!

I can’t speak to the Turner & Constable exhibit, but I went to the John Singer Sargent exhibit at the Tate Britain in 2024. We had 10:00 tickets on a June Tuesday and walked in when the doors opened. It was pleasant and not what I would call crowded compared to exhibitions I’ve attended at the NGA in DC or timed-entry paid tickets at other museums (thinking of Hopper at the VMFA, for example). We ate lunch at the Tate Britain cafe, so that’s in line with 2 to 2.5 hours of exhibit time.

I think what makes a difference is that the Tate’s exhibition galleries seem to be mostly square in shape as opposed to rectangular, if I remember correctly. People can spread out a bit more without the bottleneck one can experience in narrow galleries. I suggest picking an early hour on a weekday.

...do you recall if there is a still small room dedicated only to Turners’s watercolors?

I saw watercolors - in the "paper" room - room 33 - which is currently referred to as Cataloguing Turner's Bequest:
Sketchbooks, Drawings, Watercolours. The collection is massive, and it appears that they rotate through what is on display - I don't recall seeing the watercolors you're referring to, but I was in that room at the end of my visit, and my attention span was lagging.

Online info: https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain/display/jmw-turner/cataloguing-turner-bequest

Note that you can see ticket availability for the special exhibition on the Tate website - it appears that ticket sales have taken off, so I would obtain them ASAP.

do you recall if there is a still small room dedicated only to Turners’s watercolors? A year ago there was a room highlighting his experimental watercolor work on blue-toned paper

That display ran from 13 March 2023 – 27 May 2024.

https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain/display/jmw-turner/experiments-on-paper

Gerry and Mark, thank you both for your links. We didn’t realize it at the time but now I see my partner and I caught a very special exhibit. What great luck to be there at that time!
Rachel, thank you for your comments. I think you are right about the rooms. Makes total sense to me.

All of your posts are helpful to me. Happy holidays to you!