From JMW Turner to Rembrandt: The 20 greatest paintings in Britain you have to see

Thousands of us are flocking to blockbuster art shows, inspired by Timothy Spall’s astonishing film portrayal of Mr (JMW) Turner. But if you know where to look you can beat the crush – and find a masterpiece on your doorstep...

The Guitar Player by Johannes Vermeer, 1672

1. THE GUITAR PLAYER

Johannes Vermeer, 1672

LONDON

Vermeer used a camera obscura and other optical instruments to create the almost photographic realism seen in paintings like the famous Girl With A Pearl Earring. 

This charming painting feels like a snapshot of something that’s just happened rather than a scene from 350 years ago. 

The way she turns into the shadow creates a spontaneity that contrasts with painstaking technique, which looks close-up like a very elaborate colour-by-numbers exercise. 

What it’s worth: ‘This was once stolen, in 1974, and carried a $1m ransom, which arguably adds to its appeal: £125m.’

Kenwood House, Hampstead Lane. english-heritage.org.uk 

2. SELF-PORTRAIT AGED 51

Rembrandt Van Rijn, 1657 

EDINBURGH

By the time Rembrandt painted this around 1659, he was bankrupt, having over-spent and alienated most of his patrons. There’s none of the cockiness of his earlier self-portraits, nor the sentimentality of some of his later images. 

He resists the temptation to lay on the pathos of ageing, but seems to simply accept things as they are. 

Yet there’s a slight sense of self-regard, the feeling that he’s watching us, watching him, thinking how searchingly honest he is. 

Self-Portrait Aged 51 by Rembrandt Van Rijn, 1657

What it’s worth: ‘Selfies are often the most popular works by artists and this one would be another £100m contender.’ 

Scottish National Gallery. nationalgalleries.org 

3. THE SEAGRAM MURALS

Mark Rothko, 1958

LONDON

People claim to experience all kinds of sensations looking at Mark Rothko’s Seagram Murals: a sense of spiritual inspiration, of what the artist called ‘the sublime’, the feeling of awe you might experience faced with a dramatic landscape. 

To others they are simply a collection of vaporous rectangular forms in deep reds, browns and blacks. 

Rothko’s work became ever more minimal before he committed suicide, just over a decade later.

The Seagram Murals by Mark Rothko, 1958

What it’s worth: ‘Tate’s six on show would be the first lot at auction to go for £1bn, each one for a good £100m (no bulk discounts in the art market).’

Tate Modern, Bankside. tate.org.uk

The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan Van Eyck, 1434

4. THE ARNOLFINI PORTRAIT

Jan Van Eyck, 1434

LONDON

Jan van Eyck included an almost invisible self-portrait in this extraordinary painting of the Italian merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife. 

Working in the new medium, oil paint, van Eyck was able to capture the figures in the room with a depth and realism that had never been seen before. 

Looking in the mirror in the background, two figures can just be made out, one of them, presumably the artist, waving back to the couple and the viewer. 

What it’s worth: ‘Bought for £600 in 1842, this painting could now be worth at least 100,000 times more: £60m.’

The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square. nationalgallery.org.uk 

5. A BAR AT THE FOLIES-BERGERE

Edouard Manet, 1882

LONDON

Manet outraged Paris and the entire world in the 19th century with his candid portrayals of contemporary life. What was the moral behind this painting of a nightclub barmaid with her not-so-subtle, questioning expression? 

A Bar At The Folies-Bergere by Edouard Manet, 1882

Was she getting into an assignation with the customer seen in the mirror on the right? Manet kept his critics guessing. For him a painting was first and foremost about light, colour and form. Art was never the same again. 

What it’s worth: ‘A Manet painting has already sold at auction for over £22m. I’d estimate £50m for this famous work.’

Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House. courtauld.ac.uk 

6. THE REHEARSAL

Edgar Degas, 1874

GLASGOW

Degas loved the ravishing world of the ballet, but he also admired the discipline and hard work that lay behind it. Here he gives us a stark, day-lit view of young dancers, hardly more than children, going through their paces, while others wait their turn. 

The Rehearsal by Edgar Degas, 1874

The handling of the figures and light has a classical precision, while the composition, with the staircase slicing down the left side, reflects Degas’ fascination with photography, then still in its infancy. 

What it’s worth: ‘Like Monet, Degas is a market-darling, and his ballet dancers are the pick of his works. £50m for this prime example.’

Pollok Country Park, 2060 Pollokshaws Rd. glasgowlife.org.uk 

Rouen Cathedral by Claude Monet, 1892-94

7 ROUEN CATHEDRAL

Claude Monet, 1892-94 

CARDIFF

Monet created more than 30 paintings of the façade of Rouen Cathedral, around 1892, working from a room above a milliner’s shop opposite. 

While the compositions are almost identical, light and colour vary dramatically according to the time of day and the weather. 

In some the complex structure is seen in stark contrast; in others, like this one in Cardiff, the saturated colours fuse into near-abstract patterns. 

What it’s worth: ‘Another version of this sold for nearly £8m in 1995, since when both Monet and the art market have shot up in value. £40m for this one.’

National Museum Wales, Cathays Park. museumwales.ac.uk/cardiff 

8. NORHAM CASTLE SUNRISE

JMW Turner, 1845

LONDON

Was Turner losing his faculties in his late paintings, or were they the crowning glory of the greatest career in British art? 

Norham Castle Sunrise by JMW Turner, 1845

Looking at this masterpiece, one of the stars of Tate Britain’s acclaimed Late Turner exhibition, you have to assume the latter. The castle and surrounding landscape merge into a shimmering radiance, while the cow in the middle distance seems to float in a haze of pure light and colour. One of the nation’s favourite works of art. 

What it’s worth: ‘Another late Turner is coming up for auction in December with an estimated £20m price. I’d put this one higher, £30m.’

Tate Britain, Millbank. tate.org.uk 

Portrait Of Alexander Reid, Vincent Van Gogh, 1887

9. PORTRAIT OF ALEXANDER REID

Vincent Van Gogh, 1887

GLASGOW

Van Gogh remains the world’s favourite artist, and this portrait of his Glaswegian art dealer gives us a few of the reasons why. 

Every inch of the surface is alive with brush-marks and tingling, vibrating colour, as though the artist is seeing with a painfully heightened sensitivity. 

The romantic view is that van Gogh suffered in order to experience the world with greater intensity on our behalf. And on this evidence that feels strangely accurate. 

What it’s worth: ‘Not Van Gogh’s most famous work, but it is nonetheless clearly by the ever-popular artist: £25m.’

Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Argyle St. glasgowlife.org.uk 

Lying Figure by Francis Bacon, 1959

10. LYING FIGURE

Francis Bacon, 1959

LEICESTER

Francis Bacon emerged in the Fifties as the bad boy of British art, and 22 years after his death he remains the most challenging artist of the past hundred years. 

Where many artists talk about the fundamental cruelty of the universe, Bacon, you feel, really did believe it. 

The figure in this classic early painting looks like so much brutalised meat, his flesh scarred or flayed. The harsh light and bare background hint at a scene of interrogation or torture. 

Like him or not, and many don’t, Bacon’s conviction is total. 

What it’s worth: ‘Bacon is currently the priciest artist to sell at auction: £15m.’

New Walk Museum, 53 New Walk, leicester.gov.uk 

11. GOLDING CONSTABLE'S KITCHEN GARDEN

John Constable, 1815

IPSWICH

Constable painted this view of his father’s garden at East Bergholt in Suffolk, the year his mother died, when his father was seriously ill. 

Golding Constable's Kitchen Garden by John Constable, 1815

This quintessentially English image appears placid, but there’s an intimacy behind the view, which the artist would never see in quite the same way again. Constable spent much of his life in London, but returned to his Suffolk roots for many of his greatest paintings. 

What it’s worth: ‘Constable is a British staple: £10m for this scene of his beloved family home in Suffolk.’

Christchurch Mansion, Soane St. cimuseums.org.uk 

12. THE ANNUNCIATION

Domenico Veneziano, 1445

CAMBRIDGE

Who could resist the sheer prettiness of this exquisite early Renaissance painting? 

Domenico Veneziano gives us pure, clear colours and a harmonious space into which the figures of the Virgin Mary and Angel Gabriel appear slotted almost by accident. 

The Annunciation by Domenico Veneziano, 1445

It’s completely unrealistic, of course. The central perspective feels naïve, and the colours match too obviously. But that all contributes to the painting’s charm. 

What it’s worth: ‘The rarity of this significant Renaissance work should push it to £10m.’

Fitzwilliam Museum, Trumpington St. fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk 

Interior At Paddington by Lucian Freud, 1951

13. INTERIOR AT PADDINGTON

Lucian Freud, 1951

LIVERPOOL

Nothing is quite what it seems in this early work. 

The bare room and the young man in his shabby mac evoke the run-down, slightly seedy atmosphere of post-war London. 

Yet an exotic and slightly threatening yukka plant dominates the foreground. 

Everything is painted with a stark, cold and strangely surreal clarity. But above all there’s the mood of uncertainty. 

What it’s worth: ‘When Roman Abramovic begin buying work by Freud, the artist’s value shot up. This portrait of his friend Harry Diamond could rank highly, around £8m.’

Walker Art Gallery, William Brown Street. liverpoolmuseums.org.uk 

14. THE PAINTER'S TWO DAUGHTERS

Thomas Gainsborough, 1758

LONDON

Only their father could have captured this mischievous pair with such affectionate honesty. Gainsborough is best known for his paintings of aristocrats, but his real genius was for more intimate portraits. 

The Painter's Two Daughters by Thomas Gainsborough, 1758

He produced six paintings of Mary (left) and Margaret, at various stages in their lives, and this is the freshest and most spontaneous. And yet there’s a faint tinge of melancholy too, familiar to every parent. 

What it’s worth: ‘An artist who is out of fashion, but even so this could fetch his record at auction, £7m.’

Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road. vam.ac.uk 

15. COMING FROM THE MILL

LS Lowry, 1930

SALFORD

The art of LS Lowry sums up an idea of the industrial north, with teeming streets and smoke-choked skies, that every British person understands in their soul, even if it now barely exists in reality. This classic canvas gives us all the signature Lowry elements: belching chimneys, dark factory walls and matchstick figures moving to the rhythms of a world dominated by industrial labour. 

Coming From The Mill by LS Lowry, 1930

What it’s worth: ‘Lowry suffers on the international art market. But I’d expect this iconic work to beat his current auction record of £5.6m: £7m.’

The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays. thelowry.com 

16. BOY BUILDING A HOUSE OF CARDS

Jean-Baptiste Simeon Chardin, 1735

AYLESBURY

This deceptively simple painting of a servant boy playing with cards has aroused endless speculation. Is he simply idling away the time between tasks, or is he constructing an inner world or even coming to terms with his libido? 

Boy Building A House Of Cards by Jean-Baptiste Simeon Chardin, 1735

Chardin was a secretive artist, whose domestic scenes suggest there’s more going on than meets the eye. The king card sticking out of the open drawer is clearly a clue, but this work looks likely to keep its secrets for a good while yet. 

What it’s worth: ‘This French artist is a connoisseur’s favourite, so £4m.’

National Trust, Waddesdon Manor. waddesdon.org.uk 

17. WORK

Ford Madox Brown, 1852-63

MANCHESTER

Britain’s provincial galleries are great storehouses of Victorian art, temples to the period when Britain was the most dynamic and powerful country on earth. 

This vibrant painting celebrates that great Victorian virtue, work, in a city founded on muck, brass and hard graft. 

Work by Ford Madox Brown, 1852-63

The Pre-Raphaelite artist Ford Madox Brown wanted to show that the British working man could be a suitable subject for art, and in the process he gave us a vividly detailed microcosm of the Victorian social structure: labourers, beggars, traders, aristocrats and, on the right, two intellectuals. 

What it’s worth: ‘The market for British Pre-Raphaelite artists is limited: £1m.’

Manchester Art Gallery, 73 Quay St. manchestergalleries.org 

18. THE SHORE

Paul Nash, 1923

LEEDS

In 1921 the British painter Paul Nash went to live in Dymchurch on the Kent coast, while recovering from a breakdown caused by his experiences in World War I. 

The paintings he produced there are less well known than his images of the trenches, but are an equally powerful response to the trauma of war. 

The Shore by Paul Nash, 1923

In this composition, the jutting diagonals of the concrete sea wall create a sense of stark finality, the feeling of being on the edge. 

What it’s worth: ‘The WWI centenary commemorations could push this painting’s value to £1m.’

Leeds Art Gallery, The Headrow. leedsartgallery.co.uk 

19. SWINGEING LONDON

Richard Hamilton, 1968-69

CHICHESTER

It’s appropriate Richard Hamilton’s classic pop art painting hangs in Chichester. Mick Jagger was on his way to the local magistrates’ court when the photograph on which the work was based was taken, in relation to a drug bust at Keith Richards’s nearby country house. 

Swingeing London by Richard Hamilton, 1968-69

The painting has been interpreted as a protest against the judge’s view that Jagger should receive a ‘swingeing’ sentence. But its strength lies in Hamilton’s refusal to give us an obvious message. 

The merging of paint with new media – photography and silkscreen printing – contributes to the painting’s disquieting ambiguity and air of suppressed violence. 

What it’s worth: ‘I’d suggest £500,000 for this slice of modern history.’

Pallant House Gallery, 9 N Pallant. pallant.org.uk 

20. THE DEATH OF CHATTERTON

Henry Wallis, 1856

BIRMINGHAM

The Victorians were preoccupied with death just as we seem obsessed with sex. 

The two phenomena come together in this theatrical evocation of the death of Thomas Chatterton, a minor 18th-century poet who poisoned himself at the age of 17. 

the Death Of Chatterron by Henry Wallis, 1856

Chatterton became a hero to subsequent generations of romantic youth, and Wallis’s painting became so popular three versions were created.  

What it’s worth: ‘This is a smaller version of the work in the Tate, and the artist has a niche following, so £250,000.’

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square. bmag.org.uk 

Melanie Gerlis is art market editor at ‘The Art Newspaper’ and author of ‘Art As An Investment?’

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