An iconic painting will be making an epic journey to the north to go on display at York Art Gallery.
J.M.W. Turner’s masterpiece ‘Ulysses deriding Polyphemus – Homer’s Odyssey’ has been lent to the gallery by the National Gallery.
With Homer’s Odyssey making a comeback into popular culture with Christopher Nolan’s recent box office hit, York Art Gallery has timed their programme perfectly by curating their next major exhibition with an ‘Odyssey wall’.
The exhibition, titled Turner, Wedgwood & Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman, opens onFriday 18 September and reflects on the life and legacy of York-born artist, John Flaxman (1755 –1826).
Marking 200 years since Flaxman’s death, York Art Gallery recently revealed plans to showcase a remarkable range of works, both by Flaxman himself, and by some of the artists he inspired.
Flaxman garnered significant international attention in the eighteenth century after producing illustrations for several ancient Greek classics, including the Odyssey. As a sculptor, illustrator, and designer who worked on paper, in ceramic, precious metal, plaster and stone, Flaxman was unrivalled in his lifetime for the range and reach of his work.
Turner’s depiction of Odysseus’s defeat of the one-eyed giant Polyphemus will take centre stage in the exhibition.
The ‘Odyssey wall’ also presents Flaxman’s drawings of scenes from Homer’s epic poem, lent by the Royal Academy of Arts, and Angelica Kauffman’s ‘Ulysses on the Island of Circe’ (from a private collection).
Also featured nearby will be a rare, silver-gilt Shield of Achilles – one of only five in the world – on loan from Koopman Rare Art, designed by Flaxman. This visual representation of Homer’s description of the Greek hero’s armour will be displayed alongside a 4th-century BCE ‘Bell krater’ from York Art Gallery’s collection.
This is the first major exhibition dedicated to Flaxman in York, and is supported and produced in partnership with the University of York’s History of Art Department.
Tickets for the opening of this exhibition are on sale now here. Turner, Wedgwood & Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman will run from 18 September 2026 to 17 January 2027.