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What happened to J.M.W. Turner’s paintings and drawings after his death?

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J.M.W. Turner: The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to Her Last Berth to Be Broken Up, 1838 — J.M.W. Turner *The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to Her Last Berth to Be Broken Up, 1838*, oil on canvas by J.M.W. Turner, 1839; in the National Gallery, London.

Upon his death in 1851, J.M.W. Turner’s paintings and drawings became national property, collectively known as the Turner Bequest.1

In his will, Turner had bequeathed his finished paintings to the National Gallery on the condition that a separate gallery be built to house them. Following protracted litigation with his relatives, most of his fortune was lost, but his extensive collection of finished and unfinished works was secured for the nation.1

The housing of this collection evolved over time:
* Oil Paintings: While a few remain at the National Gallery, many were eventually moved to the Tate Gallery, where a special gallery was built by Sir Joseph Duveen in 1908.1
* Drawings and Watercolors: These were transferred to the British Museum for safety following a 1928 flood at the Tate. They were later returned to the Tate Gallery in 1987 upon the opening of the Clore Gallery, an addition specifically designed by James Stirling to house the collection.1