Baron sells Turners to fund taste for Chinese art

One of the finest collections of works by JMW Turner to pass through Sotheby's auction house will go under the hammer this summer.

Fourteen watercolours from different stages of the 19th century British master's career are expected to fetch a total of at least £15million.

Today, Sotheby's announced the sale at its New Bond Street headquarters on 5 July. The works are being sold by Belgian food tycoon Baron Guy Ullens who has spent 20 years fulfilling a childhood dream of acquiring Turner masterpieces.

However, the baron - who has made a fortune from businesses such as WeightWatchers, and counts Prince Charles among his friends - has decided to offload them to buy more of his other great passion: contemporary Chinese art - a booming sector of the market.

He said: "Turner's watercolours are universal, or absolute, and at the same time very intimate. One of my dreams was always to mount an exhibition of them alongside my Chinese paintings. It would have been fascinating but now I am devoting myself to contemporary Chinese art."

The baron's Turners range from portrayals of British coastal life to impressionist views of Switzerland, Germany, France and Italy.

The top lot is expected to be his 1840 view of Oberwesel in the Rhine Valley. It is expected to make £3 million.

Also up for grabs is one of the artist's best depictions of Venice - the 1840 work Venice: Looking Towards The Dogana And San Giorgio Maggiore, With A Storm Approaching. It should go for about £1.2 million.

British seascapes up for sale include Scarborough (1818) and Fishing Boats Of Hastings, showing the ruins of William the Conqueror's castle perched above the sea. Six views of Switzerland spanning 40 years, including one of Thun lake, can also be bought.