How the Tate Succeeded in Keeping “Blue Rigi”

The fundraising campaign to save Turner’s “The Blue Rigi” for the Tate Gallery, London, has reached its goal three weeks ahead of its deadline. Some £4.95 million had to be found by Mar. 20 to prevent its export to the private collector who was its winning bidder at auction last June.
Some £3.05 milllion came from a variety of sources: the museum (£2 million); The Art Fund, an independent British charity (£500,000); and a public fundraising campaign (£552,000) that included a “Buy a Brushstroke” gimmick (accounting for £73,281 of the £552,000 total public contribution). The National Heritage Memorial Fund, the government’s fund of last resort, had agreed to kick in up to £1.95 million, but will get away with a smaller contribution, thanks to the campaign’s success.
The public fundraising appeal continues to Mar. 5, to reduce the size of NHMF’s contribution.
And they didn’t even have to sell a painting or go into debt.