Margate's glitterati turned out in force today for a sneak peek of the new £20 polymer note featuring one of the seaside town's most famous (adopted) sons, artist JMW Turner. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney unveiled the new currency at Turner Contemporary alongside Tracey Emin, who grew up in the Kent coastal town. Carney quipped that "as the new Turner £20 testifies, money can be a work of art in everyone's pocket". The foil features Turner Contemporary in blue, highlighting the institution's role in the town's renaissance over the past decade. Victoria Pomery, director of Turner Contemporary, says: “We are thrilled to feature on the new £20 note which centres on Turner Contemporary’s namesake, JMW Turner (1775-1851), who was a regular visitor to Margate in his lifetime." Look out also for Turner's seminal painting The Fighting Temeraire (1839) and a purple foil patch containing the letter T, based on the staircase at Tate Britain. The new note enters circulation on 20 February; meanwhile, a £50 piece featuring the genius World War II codebreaker Alan Turing is due to be issued in 2021.
In the frameblog
Kerching! Mark Carney and Tracey Emin reveal £20 note featuring JMW Turner
10 October 2019