£1m donation in bid to save precious artwork

A CAMPAIGN to keep a famous artwork on public view in the Capital has today received a £1 million boost.

The painting Diana and Actaeon, by Titian, is currently being offered to the National Galleries of Scotland at the "significantly reduced price" of £50m.

Part of the private Bridgewater collection, it has been on loan to the National Galleries of Scotland since 1945.

The independent art charity, the Art Fund today, pledged £1m to the campaign – the largest donation to a single work of art in the organisation's 105-year history.

David Barrie, director of the Art Fund, said: "This painting can and must be saved. In the current climate it will be difficult, but we managed to save Titian's Vendramin Family and the Wilton Diptych during the Depression – just as great a challenge."

The deadline for raising the money is December 31, and the charity said if the effort fails, there is no guarantee that the work will remain on public view in Britain or abroad.