Paintings by JMW Turner from the Turner/Rothko exhibition at the Tate Britain

The influence of the British artist JMW Turner on the abstract painter Mark Rothko is to be examined at Tate Britain in a show that puts the work of both on display together for the very first time.

Rothko held a deep admiration for the work of the 19th century British artist, according to Tate curator Ian Warrell.

But, despite Rothko's gift of nine Seagram murals to Tate in the late 1960s, the work of the pair has never been compared in one exhibition.

Mr Warrell said: "One of the reasons Rothko gave the Seagram murals to Tate was his love of Turner.

"When Rothko saw an exhibition of Turners at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1966, he joked, 'This guy Turner, he learnt a lot from me.' "

Mr Warrell said Rothko – famous for his massive canvasses containing blocks of subtly shifting colours – was particularly influenced by Turner's later work, which "pared back" paintings until they became almost pure evocations of light and mood.

A selection of Turners that were displayed at MoMA in 1966 have been placed opposite a room dedicated to six of the Tate's Seagram murals, to let visitors compare what it has described as the "striking affinity" between the artists.

Many of Turner's later paintings were not shown by Victorian curators, who considered them too odd for public view.

Some Turners were almost thrown out of Tate's collection, he added.

But after the Impressionists softened the focus of painting, Turner's later works underwent a dramatic reappraisal.

Rothko's children Christopher and Kate said their father was "passionate about Turner and felt him to be a true kindred spirit."

They added: "To be reunited in this way would have pleased him tremendously."

The Tate Britain show follows a major exhibition of Rothko's work across the Thames at Tate Modern, which featured 14 of his Seagram murals displayed together for the first time.

Tate Britain's comparative exhibition, which opened yesterday, runs until July 26.