Richard Winterton searches for more masterpieces ahead of 'The Lowry Sale'

Richard Winterton searches for more masterpieces ahead of 'The Lowry Sale'

RICHARD Winterton Auctioneers is inviting entries for a Decorative Arts sale focussing on the great LS Lowry.

Usually jam-packed with fascinating detail, the artist’s name alone conjures up very distinctive images of industrial scenes and people – and perhaps Brian and Michael’s 1978 one-hit wonder tribute to Lowry, Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs, also comes to mind.

Lowry’s art has never been more popular. At auction his oil paintings fetch six or seven figure sums and his pencil sketches are often sold for tens of thousands of pounds – this in turn increasing the price of Lowry’s limited edition signed prints.

Over the last six months Richard Winterton Auctioneers has sold five of these, ranging in hammer price from £1,500 to £2,600.

Pictured above, clockwise from top: The Notice Board sold for £1,500, Man Holding A Child sold for £2,000, The Beach, Deal, sold for £1,900 and The Football Match sold for £2,500.

Two of the signed prints came from vendors in Lichfield, one came from Longdon – a mile or so outside the cathedral city – and two more from sellers in the south of England.

For sale in July is another signed Lowry print from a Lichfield resident – ‘Industrial Scene’ is expected to realise £1,500 to £2,000.

“Lowry has a high profile at the moment, with quite a few exhibitions travelling around the country in recent years,” said Mr Winterton.

“People continue to have a tremendous affinity with Lowry’s iconic industrial imagery. Plus, they are great pictures!

“Over the last few sales we have had quite a few signed Lowry prints come through which have had local and international appeal, so we have decided to put together a special Lowry sale to celebrate and extraordinarily influential artist.”

‘Mrs Swindell’s picture’, above, sold for £2,600 earlier this year

A big exhibition in Birmingham in 2016 saw a number of Lowry pictures sold.

Richard Winterton’s next fine Decorative Arts auction – which will include work by Lowry – is being held on July 11 at The Lichfield Auction Centre, Wood End Lane, Fradley Park, off the A38. Entries close on June 4.

If you have a Lowry print or painting you would like to sell, bring it along for free valuation to The Trinity Centre, Mill Street, Royal Sutton Coldfield, on Monday, May 14 between 2-3.30pm or email office@richardwinterton.co.uk for further details.

About LS Lowry

Laurence Stephen Lowry was born in 1887 in Lancashire.

After leaving school he became a rent collector and took private art lessons in the evening. Even though his job was full time he was serious enough about painting to keep his studies going at the Manchester School of Art and subsequently the Royal Technical Institute of Salford.

One of his teachers was a French Impressionist and this influenced his lesser known early works, but Lowry soon developed his more recognisable style, drawing and painting bustling scenes of mid-20^th century urban life in the industrial areas of North West England as well as mysterious, unpopulated landscapes.

He died in 1976 and still holds the record for the most rejected British honours – six, including a knighthood.