Turner's Blue Rigi saved for nation by £2m grant

One of Turner's greatest watercolours has been saved for the nation after weeks of frenzied fundraising by UK art lovers.

The Blue Rigi, an 1842 Swiss mountain scene, was sold to an overseas buyer last year.

But a £1.95 million grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund announced today has ensured the painting will remain in Britain.

The grant completes the £4.95 million figure required by the Tate to acquire the work - making it the single most expensive piece of artwork the gallery has ever acquired.

Liz Forgan, chairwoman of the NHMF, said the public's passion for The Blue Rigi was overwhelming: "It is a perfect demonstration of what the we were set up to do - to act as a fund of last resort for the UK's most treasured and endangered heritage."

Fundraising had raised £3 million from donations by members of the public, art charity The Art Fund, and the Tate. Sir Nicholas Serota, director of the gallery, told the Evening Standard: "There is nothing like The Blue Rigi. It is an extraordinary work of ineffable beauty.

"I would like to thank every member of the public who has generously given money. I am delighted that the National Heritage Memorial Fund has recognised the watercolour's importance and supported our collective determination to save this work from leaving the country."

One of a series of three paintings, The Blue Rigi was sold by a private owner at Christie's for £5.8 million in June last year.

In a bid to hold on to the masterpiece, Culture Secretary David Lammy issued a temporary export bar, due to expire on 20 March. The Tate, which holds the world's greatest Turner collection, was subsequentlyoffered the painting at a reduced price.

The gallery launched a fundraising campaign in January during which it united the paiting for the first time with its companion pieces, The Dark Rigi and The Red Rigi, in a special exhibition at Tate Britain.

Members of the public were able to pledge support by buying a brush stroke for £5 each. This initiative helped raise more than £550,000 in just five weeks.

David Barrie, director of The Art Fund, said there's a powerful message her for politicians: "The public care about great works of art and they want to see them acquired by our public collections."