A painting by American realist George Bellows has been purchased by the National Gallery in London for $25.5 million. Billed as the museum's first major acquisition by an American artist, Bellows's "Men at the Docks," from 1912, was sold by Randolph College in Virginia.

Randolph College students raised funds to purchase the painting in 1920, and it hung for years at the college's Maier Museum of Art. Current students and American museum leaders protested the sale, condemning the practice of deaccessioning artwork to raise funds for other operations.

The National Gallery's purchase was made possible through anonymous donors and funds established by the late John Paul Getty Jr.. Museum officials said in a statement that is now "seeking to represent paintings in the Western European tradition, rather than solely those made by artists working in Western Europe."

In 2008, Randolph College sold a Rufino Tamayo painting from 1945 titled "Troubadour" for $7.2 million, sparking debate over the sales of the museum's art to fund the endowment and operations.

Last Thursday, Randolph College officials lauded the sale as "notable especially for making Randolph College the only U.S. educational institution with a collaborative relationship with the National Gallery." Academic partnerships, including lectures and student exchanges, were part of the purchase.