J.M.W. Turner's masterpiece Ulysses deriding Polyphemus is on public display at York Art Gallery as part of the exhibition 'Turner, Wedgwood & Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman'.
J.M.W. Turner's Ulysses deriding Polyphemus is on display at York Art Gallery from 18 September 2026 to 17 January 2027. It's on loan from the National Gallery and arrives as part of Turner, Wedgwood & Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman, the first major exhibition dedicated to the York-born artist in his home city, produced with the University of York's History of Art Department.
The show centres on Flaxman (1755-1826), a sculptor, illustrator and designer who worked in paper, ceramic, precious metal, plaster and stone. He gained international attention for illustrating the Greek classics, including the Odyssey, and the exhibition marks 200 years since his death. Curators say his sketches live on in Turner's work: the outlines of horses in the sunset and the shadow of a cyclops.
Ulysses deriding Polyphemus itself dates from 1829. It shows Ulysses sailing away from the island where the one-eyed giant Polyphemus had held him and his men captive, wearing a helmet and a scarlet cloak and raising the flaming torch with which he blinded the giant. Luminous sea nymphs and flying fish gather at the prow as a blazing sun rises through the morning mists. John Ruskin called it 'the central picture of Turner's career'.
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It's a long run, so there's plenty of time to catch it over the autumn and winter. Seeing it in person is a different thing entirely from a reproduction, especially with the way Turner handles the light and the mist. The painting is included in general admission, so if you're already heading into the gallery, it's just one more thing to see while you're there.
