Lowry in the Modern Art Sale


May 2026

Few British artists are as instantly recognisable as Laurence Stephen Lowry. Born in 1887, Lowry became known for his depictions of industrial towns, crowded streets and everyday northern life, particularly around Salford, Manchester and Pendlebury, where he lived and worked for many years. His images of factories, chimneys, markets and figures in motion have become part of the visual language of 20th century Britain.

Our upcoming Modern Art Sale features three works after, or by, Lowry that together reflect different aspects of his practice: the bustling crowd, the industrial townscape and the quieter landscape sketch. Each offers a distinct way into the artist’s world.

A Northern Crowd: Market Scene in a Northern Town

Laurence Stephen Lowry RBA RA: Market Scene in a Northern Town. Limited edition print in colours, signed in pencil, from the edition of 750, published by Patrick Seale Prints, 1973. 46cm x 61cm.

Lowry’s crowded scenes remain among his most loved images, and Market Scene in a Northern Town (Lot 201) captures the social theatre that made his work so compelling. Figures gather, pause, drift and move through the market, each reduced to a few economical marks yet full of individual presence. Stalls, buildings and chimneys create a familiar northern setting, while the rhythm of the crowd gives the composition its energy.

The original oil painting was painted in 1939 and is now in The Lowry Collection, Salford. This signed limited edition print, published by Patrick Seale Prints in 1973, allows collectors to acquire one of Lowry’s best-known urban compositions in a format with strong decorative and collectable appeal. Estimate £500-800.

A Quieter Line: A Country Road

Laurence Stephen Lowry RBA RA: A Country Road. Pencil sketch, signed with initials and dated “L S L/3rd April 1961” verso. 19cm x 24cm. Provenance: Professor H. B. Maitland; by descent to Mrs M. Dickie; Sotheby’s, London, 16 March 1977, lot 108; Bonhams, London, 18 November 2005, lot 26; Bonhams, London, Modern British and Irish Art, 20 November 2019; acquired at the latter sale by the present owner.

Although Lowry is most often associated with urban and industrial subjects, drawing remained central to his practice. A Country Road offers a quieter counterpoint to the two printed scenes, showing the artist’s economy of line and ability to suggest space with minimal means.
The sketch is sparse and open, with a road leading the eye into a low horizon. There are no crowds here, no dense streets, only the bare structure of landscape. Its importance lies partly in this restraint, revealing the artist’s hand at its most direct. 

The recorded provenance, passing through Sotheby’s and Bonhams before entering the present collection, adds further interest for collectors of Lowry works on paper. Estimate £2,000-3,000.

Industrial Edges: Level Crossing, Burton-on-Trent

Laurence Stephen Lowry RBA RA: Level Crossing, Burton-on-Trent. Print in colours, signed in pencil with Fine Art Trade Guild blindstamp. 44cm x 58cm.

Lowry was fascinated by the places where people, buildings and industry intersected. Level Crossing, Burton-on-Trent (Lot 202) draws on that interest, placing the viewer at a point of pause: a street held back by the barrier of the crossing, with figures dispersed across the foreground and industry rising behind.

The scene has the familiar ingredients of Lowry’s urban vision: simplified architecture, smoke, children, dogs and everyday passers-by. Yet it also has a distinctive openness, with the level crossing forming a horizontal break between the viewer and the town beyond. As with many of Lowry’s works, the subject is ordinary, but the atmosphere is quietly absorbing. The signed print format makes this a strong example for collectors seeking an image that balances Lowry’s industrial vocabulary with a more spacious, almost theatrical arrangement of figures. Estimate £500-800.
Together, these three works show the range within Lowry’s appeal: the animated market, the industrial townscape and the stripped-back pencil study. They remind us why his work continues to resonate so strongly, capturing not only place, but the rhythms and atmosphere of everyday life.

Browse the Modern Art Sale online to view these Lowry works and the wider catalogue. Bidding is now open and closes Thursday 4 June from 11AM.
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