Turner masterpiece worth £10 million: temporary export ban
A temporary export ban has been placed on a Turner masterpiece in the hope that funds can be raised to buy it and keep it in the UK.
The £10 million watercolor painting, The Dark Rigi, the Lake of Lucerne, depicts a scene in the Swiss mountains at dawn and is the only remaining work from the Rigi series
There are as of now fears that the fine art, made in 1842, could be sent out available to be purchased abroad, which expressions serve Rebecca Pow said would be a “horrible misfortune to the entire nation”, the BBC reports.
Turner, who was born in London in 1775, is considered one of the greatest figures in the history of landscape painting.
Ms. Pow, who has been in her present post since May, settled on her choice after counsel from the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest.
The committee’s job is to advise the government on exporting cultural property, for instance, if an artwork is sold to a foreign buyer and the committee believes there should be time allotted for a British buyer to raise funds and keep it into the UK.
“Turner is one of Britain’s greatest ever artists and The Dark Rigi is a beautiful and emotive work painted at the pinnacle of his career,” Ms. Pow said.
The export ban on The Dark Rigi runs until 1 December. If serious efforts are made to raise the £10m funds to purchase the artwork, the export bar may be extended until 1 June 2020.