Turner painting 'saved for the nation' by property millionaire's gift

A painting by JMW Turner has been saved for the nation after its millionaire owner specified it must remain on loan to the National Gallery after his death.

Harry Hyams, who died last month, is reported to have pledged Dutch Boats in a Gale will remain free for the public to study in the gallery, where it has hung since 1998.

The seascape, considered one of Turner's most important works, could have been sold at auction for up to £100 million, according to the Sunday Times.

If that had occured, it would likely have been out of the reach of publicly-funded British galleries, and may have been purchased by a private overseas collector.

Mr Hyams, a self-made millionaire, died on December 19, aged 87. He is described in his Telegraph obituary as "changing London's skyline" after building the Centre Point office at the junction of Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road in 1963.

He is remembered for building one of the finest collections of art held in private hands in Britain, with last year's Sunday Times Rich List calculating his wealth at £312m.

Turner's Dutch Boats in a Gale was just one of these works, painting in 1801 listed by the National Gallery as: "Dutch boats are shown on course for collision in stormy weather. Dark clouds contribute to the sense of danger. The painting was commissioned by the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater as a companion piece to a 17th-century Dutch seascape in his possession."

Eric Shanes, an expert on Turner, told the newspaper: "Dutch Boats in a Gale is more important than any other Turner because it consolidated his reputation and got him elected a Royal Academician. If it were to come to auction, it would break all records. It would be a national tragedy if it were ever to leave these shores.

"If it's correct that it will stay at the National Gallery, that's fantastic news."

It is no clear what will happen to Mr Hyams's surviving art collection, which is believed to also include works by Rembrandt and Rubens.