Turner's Erotic Drawings Survive

Do you know this story? John Ruskin, the 19th-century British art critic and collector, was an enormous fan and supporter of the painter, JMW Turner. Ruskin - admittedly a brilliant thinker in many areas - also had what we'd call "issues" with, well, sex. He felt it was immoral and unnecessary. After Turner's death, Ruskin cataloged the thousands of his drawings and paintings, but proudly claimed to have burnt sheaves of improper, offensive erotic drawings.

As things turn out, it appears that Ruskin couldn't bring himself to destroy anything his idol had done. Maev Kennedy, writing for the Guardian, reports that three-years' worth of recent cataloging proves there are no gaps of import in the Tate's Turner collection - despite Ruskin's claims. Excellent news for all of the scholars speculating on Turner's sex life, you'd have to think.