Turner masterpiece makes first North East visit

The Fighting Temeraire will be on display in Newcastle until September

A masterpiece by the renowned artist JMW Turner has made its first visit to the North East as part of a national tour.

The Fighting Temeraire has gone on display at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle on loan from the National Gallery.

The painting, which depicts an old warship being towed to a scrapyard, features on the £20 note and will be in Newcastle until 7 September.

The exhibition aims to highlight the connection between the painting and Tyneside, gallery curator Lizzie Jacklin said.

"In reality, the two steam tugs that towed the Temeraire on its final journey had been manufactured on the Tyne in Gateshead," she said.

The painting, completed in 1839, has been loaned from the National Gallery as part of its 200th anniversary National Treasures programme in which some of its famous paintings are being loaned to galleries around the country.

The exhibition also includes several other works by Turner, many of which depict scenes from the region including Holy Island, Northumberland and Tynemouth.

The exhibition also includes a video piece by the artist John Kippin which documents a Tyneside-built warship leaving the River Tyne for the final time.