Famous 18th Century British Artists & Painters

J. M. W. Turner was an English printmaker, painter, and watercolorist best remembered for his imaginative landscapes and expressive colorizations. Intensely reclusive and eccentric throughout his life, Turner lived in poor health and squalor for the last few years of his life. He was portrayed by actor Timothy Spall in the 2014 biographical film, Mr. Turner.

British-American William Thornton was initially trained in medicine and that is when he began drawing and sketching as part of his medical notes. He later won a contest for the design of the Library Company of Philadelphia's new hall. He also designed the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

British landscape painter William Turner of Oxford is often mistaken for the famous painter J. M. W. Turner, who was also from England. Turner was a lifelong member of the Watercolor Society, founded by his mentor John Varley. Oxford from Hinksey Hill remains one of his best-known works.

John Flaxman was a British sculptor. He was a key figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Largely self-educated, he began his career as a modeler for potter Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He then began sculpting grave monuments and earned a reputation as a prolific maker of funerary monuments. He was married to Anne Denman, who assisted him throughout his career. 

Eleanor Coade was a British businesswoman known for her astute entrepreneurial, business, and marketing skills. She manufactured Neoclassical statues, architectural decorations, and garden ornaments. She created stoneware for many famous buildings, including St George's Chapel, The Royal Pavilion, Brighton, and Carlton House. She was one of the few women to run a highly successful business in the Georgian era. 

Landscape painter Alexander Cozens was the godchild of Russian Emperor Peter I but was often mistaken as his child. Born in Russia, he later moved too England, where he taught painting at Eton and trained luminaries such as the Prince of Wales. He introduced a style of painting landscapes from abstract blots.

John Michael Rysbrack was a Flemish sculptor best remembered for his work in England where he was considered one of the leading sculptors of architectural decorations, portraits, and monuments in early and mid-18th century. John Michael Rysbrack is also remembered for running an influential workshop whose output left a significant impact on future English sculptors.

Paul Storr was an English goldsmith and silversmith. He worked predominantly in the Neoclassical style in vogue in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. One of the most prominent silversmiths of his era, he created several magnificent sculptural pieces for royalty. He collaborated with John Mortimer to found their joint venture, Storr and Mortimer, in 1822. 

Joseph Nollekens was a British sculptor best remembered for his portrait busts. One of the most fashionable portrait sculptors of his generation, Nollekens was also widely regarded as the best English sculptor of the late-18th century. Joseph Nollekens' famous statue Faith in Wetheral Parish Church is considered his finest work.