Home / Arts and Entertainment / Family's £10 Art Treasure Fetches £805,200 at Auction
Family's £10 Art Treasure Fetches £805,200 at Auction
12 Oct
Summary
- A 1925 Lowry painting bought for £10 sold for £805,200.
- The artwork remained in the same family's possession for 99 years.
- The painting was purchased directly from LS Lowry in 1926.
An early LS Lowry painting, "Going to the Mill," has sold for £805,200, including buyer's premium, marking a significant return on a £10 investment made in 1926. The artwork stayed with the same family for 99 years before its sale at Mall Galleries in central London.
Acquired directly from the artist by Arthur Wallace, then literary editor of the Manchester Guardian, the painting's initial price was £10. Lowry himself had suggested the reduced sum, even offering a second painting, "The Manufacturing Town," to Wallace.
This particular Lowry is described by auctioneer Simon Hucker as an exceptional and early example of the artist's work, painted when he was relatively unknown. Hucker highlighted the rarity of such a piece remaining in a single collection for nearly a century.
Lowry is celebrated for his distinctive depictions of industrial Britain, particularly scenes from North West England. "Going to the Mill" exemplifies his unique style of capturing industrial life and the human experience within crowded urban environments.
The painting had been on loan to Pallant House Gallery prior to its auction. This significant sale adds to the strong market performance of Lowry's works, with another painting selling for nearly £6.3 million in the same year.
