Four Rare Lowry Works to Go Under the Hammer

Four rare works by Manchester artist LS Lowry will go under the hammer at Christie’s in London next month.

The recently resurfaced Lowry works include Manchester City vs Sheffield United, which dates from 1938. Lowry was thought to be a keen football fan that supported Bolton Wanderers. Rachel Hidderley from Christie's said of the work: “Manchester City vs Sheffield United is from a small and important group of paintings in which Lowry records an actual event rather than a composite image of different locations or impressions.” She then went on to say, “Lowry was a keen football supporter... he concentrates on the home crowd rather than the team members, using the occasion of the match to concentrate on depicting the personalities of the individuals attending.”

Another of the works on offer is An Old Church, which was recently rediscovered in a private collection and has not been seen in public for over 60 years. Ms Hidderley said of this work, “The bustling figures are placed in groups, though stand alone, expressing a universal loneliness, which is characteristic of Lowry's figures.” This sought-after work is expected to fetch around a million, while the lesser-known A Cricket Match, which has not been displayed to the public for over a decade, is predicted to sell for between 600,000 and 800,000 pounds, and another painting, The Sea, is thought to go for around 250,000 pounds. These paintings are being auctioned as part of a sale of 20th Century British art.

LS Lowry is renowned for his distinctive matchstick-style figures, which depict the lives of everyday people in Manchester and various other industrial towns in the North West. Lowry was born in Lancashire in 1887, although a majority of his paintings are of Salford, which is the area that he lived and worked in for over 40 years. Lowry died at the age of 88 in 1976, although he lives on through his work. Just last year, Lowry’s painting Good Friday, Daisy Nook sold for almost £4 million at auction.

Source:

Associated Free Press
BBC