Export ban on Turner painting

Whilst the temporary export ban is in place, there are attempts to raise money - eg from the Art Fund, NL Heritage Fund, a private donor may come forward. So the painting would be bought for the nation and exhibited to the public. If private people want to give, fine, if charities decide to spend money on it, fine . If the money can’t be raised, that’s a sign, and eventually the ban would be lifted and it could be sold anywhere. The current owners paid£2.7 million only a few years ago do they must be delighted with their investment.

If our galleries only contained works from our own country they would not be nearly as interesting as they are. Art should move about, but preferably be kept where it can be seen by the general public.

My DIL works in the art world, including the Royal Academy though she is freelance now. She genuinely can see more in ‘modern art’ than most of us can, though she is quite ready to say if she thinks something is rubbish.

We didn’t buy the Elgin Marbles
It's a moot point whether the Sultan allowed Elgin to remove the Marbles or not.
The British Government later paid Elgin £35,000 for them.

I see nothing exceptional about this painting. There are many Turner paintings of similar quality in public collections, and privately owned ones on public display in the UK.