British Painter L. S. Lowry Record Set at Christie's in London

Written by Peter Aspden Friday, 27 May 2011 00:13

London - “The Football Match”, painted by Lowry in 1949, had not been seen for nearly 20 years before Thursday’s sale of 20th century British art.Several telephone bidders sent the price soaring beyond its high estimate of £4.5m before an unknown buyer secured the sale. The previous record for a Lowry at auction was £3.8m, set in 2007. The world’s most popular sport proved its enduring appeal when a rare painting of a football match by L.S. Lowry was sold for £5.6m, including buyer’s premium, at Christie’s in London – a record for the British artist at auction.

The painting was described by the auction house as a “landscape [which] perfectly captures the spirit and drama of a town gripped by the excitement of the Saturday football match”.

The international appeal of the work was such that it toured London, the US and Paris before entering a private collection in 1950, where it remained for more than 40 years. Lowry was a keen follower of football, and supported Manchester City.

Other highlights from Thursday’s event included the sale of a 1934 crucifixion scene by Stanley Spencer for £2m, a record for the artist at auction, and the sale of a painting by Winston Churchill, “Villa on the Nivelle”, for £505,000. The Churchill work was painted in 1945, between the general election on July 5 and the announcement of its result on July 26, which heralded Labour’s shock victory.

Philip Harley, director and head of 20th Century British and Irish Art at the Christie’s, said the work was executed during a “critical window in history”.

“Its composition suggests that the viewer is privy to a very private moment of this great man, whose passion for painting is well recorded,” he said.

Another artist record was set for Samuel John Peploe, whose work “The Coffee Pot” sold for £937,000.

The price fetched for the Lowry painting is the highest for the collecting category of 20th century British art, which does not include masters such as Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. Lesser-known British artists are rising in value, said Mr Harley. The sale, which totalled £17.9m, reflected “the dynamic appetite for this active and growing market”.

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