A painting entitled ‘The Football Match’ by keen Manchester City supporter L.S. Lowry has sold for £5.6m, including buyer’s premium, at Christie’s in London. This is a record for the British artist at auction. The painting has not been seen for nearly 20 years. The price went well beyond the high estimate of £4.5m.
A painting entitled ‘The Football Match’ by keen Manchester City supporter L.S. Lowry has sold for £5.6m, including buyer’s premium, at Christie’s in London. This is a record for the British artist at auction. The painting has not been seen for nearly 20 years. The price went well beyond the high estimate of £4.5m.
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.’ It was painted in 1949 but seems to be a stylised representation of a match in the early days of organised football. The international appeal of the painting was such that it toured London, the US and Paris before entering a private collection in 1950 where it remained for 40 years.
Mill chimneys smoke in the background, suggesting a Lancashire setting, and there are terraced houses in the foreground. There is no cover round the ground which has a crowd several deep standing round the sides. It is conceivable that Manchester City’s Hyde Road ground looked like that before stands were erected.
The Lowry Museum in Manchester is ironically situated nearer to Old Trafford. Former City keeper David James once used it as a locale for an art appreciation programme he presented on television.