Here are some facts about L. S. Lowry, the famous English artist.
- L. S. Lowry (Laurence Stephen Lowry) was born on 1st November 1887 in Stretford, Lancashire.
- Lowry had an unhappy childhood. He wasn’t very popular at school, didn’t have a very close relationship with his parents, and he had few friends.
- The Lowry family moved to the industrial town of Pendlebury in 1909. The landscape was dominated by textile mills and the chimneys of factories, and this imagery left its mark on the young L. S. Lowry.
- Lowry had taken art classes as a child and he went to the Manchester School of Art and then Salford Royal Technical College.
- In 1932, Lowry’s father died and he looked after to his mother. After his mother fell alseep, Lowry started to paint, often finishing at 3 a.m.
- Lowry’s paintings often featured industrial Pendlebury and they captured scenes of life in industrial England. His landscapes are often populated by stylised ‘matchstick men’ figures.
- Lowry didn’t complete many paintings of London. However, his 1960 painting of Piccadilly Circus sold for more than £5 million in 2011.
- Some of his most famous works include: Industrial Landscape, Going to the Match and Coming from the Mill, The Viaduct and The Football Match.
- Lowry became an official war artist in 1943 and he was the Official Artist of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
- Lowry was a massive fan of Manchester City Football Club.
- Lowry died on 23rd February 1976. He was aged 88 and was suffering from pneumonia.
- In 2022, Lowry’s Going to the Match, a painting that depicts a gathering of Bolton Wanderers supporters, sold at auction for £7.8 million. The buyer was The Lowry Arts Centre.
What next? Find out more about some other famous artists.
