The private art collection of Kindertransport refugee and technology entrepreneur Dame Stephanie Shirley is to be auctioned following her death last August. The works, which were displayed at her home in Henley-on-Thames, will be sold next month, with all proceeds going to the autism research and advocacy charity she founded in 2004.

The collection features modern art, sculpture, studio pottery and furnishings, including pieces by Dame Barbara Hepworth and William Turnbull, each expected to sell for up to £150,000. Auctioneers described the collection as reflecting her clear taste and belief that art should be part of everyday life.

Born Vera Buchthal in Dortmund in 1933, Dame Stephanie fled Nazi Germany as a child. She later became a pioneer in the computer industry, founding a software company that primarily employed women and adopting the name 'Steve' to navigate a male-dominated field. Over her lifetime, she donated much of her fortune to charitable causes, particularly those supporting people with autism.