This summer, visitors to The Lowry have a feast of new works to enjoy, with several major new loans going on display alongside old favourites from The Lowry Collection.
All the works are from private collections, including five which have travelled to Salford from a private Liechtenstein collection.
Works coming to The Lowry this month include Beach at Penarth (1960), Bourton-on-the-Water (1957), Father and Two Sons (1950), Man Looking over a Fence (1964), and Punch and Judy (1943).
Claire Stewart, Curator, The Lowry Collection said:
“Although The Lowry Collection includes over 400 works, spanning the whole course of LS Lowry’s career, there are still subjects he painted that are not represented in the Collection. That’s why, when we have the chance to show pictures that bring something a little bit different to our displays, we take the opportunity to borrow works from other collections – private and public – for our visitors to enjoy.”
Beach at Penarth (1960) is a large coastal scene that makes a lovely comparison with Newbiggin-by-the-Sea (1966) which has been on display at The Lowry from a private collection since the beginning of this year. LS Lowry is sometimes described as never painting the weather – but these pictures have a real sense of the wind blowing in off the sea, compared with the more placid and picturesque Bourton-on-the-Water, one of a small group of Cotswold views that Lowry painted.
Alongside Head of a Man (1938) and Portrait of Ann (1957) (both in The Lowry Collection), Father and Two Sons (1950) is one of Lowry’s most famous portraits and is one of his most striking compositions. The father and his sons seem worn down by what Lowry described as ‘the battle of life’. In contrast, Man Looking over a Fence (1964) is more humorous.
Punch and Judy (1943) – a well-known crowd scene will be recognisable to many from the numerous prints produced both during and after Lowry’s lifetime. And finally, Mill Scene (1953). The figures in this painting are more sketchily painted than in his early work but still hurry away from the building at the end of the day in the same way they do in Coming from the Mill (1930) (The Lowry Collection) painted over 20 years earlier.
The Lowry Galleries are free to attend. Visitors can also enjoy free 10-minute LS Lowry Insight Talks in the Galleries every day (Tuesday – Sunday) at 12:30 and 2pm. Younger visitors to the Galleries can also enjoy the Jack the Dog & Friends Trail, a free activity for families inspired by the animals in LS Lowry’s paintings and drawings.
