L.S. Lowry's 'Station Approach' sells for 2.3 million pounds

KOLKATA: Sotheby’s sale of Modern & Post-War British Art saw an exceptional work by L.S. Lowry, Station Approach, Manchester (dated 1960), selling for £2.3 million. Ranked among the most significant works created throughout the artist’s career, this painting of one of Manchester’s historic landmarks, the London and North Western Railway Exchange Station, epitomises everything that Lowry has become known and loved for.

The subject was highly significant for the artist – he chose to produce a smaller version of this painting in 1962 to present to the Royal Academy of Arts, London, on being made a Royal Academician. The painting was first exhibited in the artist’s sell-out 1961 exhibition at Lefevre Gallery, London and has not been seen in public for a generation.

Frances Christie, Sotheby’s head of Modern & Post-War British Art department comments in an email statement, "Station Approach, Manchester is one of Lowry’s most exciting works to emerge onto the market in recent years. Lowry was a master at portraying the energy and vitality of everyday life and in Station Approach, Manchester he captures the hustle and bustle of the crowds heading home after a hard day’s work – it is a superb example of Lowry at his very best."