A rare L.S. Lowry painting that hasn’t been seen in public for close to 60 years is set to go on display next month.
Talk about a monumental occasion, right?
The artwork in question, which is titled ‘Sunday Afternoon’, was thought to have been painted by Greater Manchester‘s most-famous artist all the way back in 1957, and pays resemblance to a lot of the other well-known works in his expansive and massively-celebrated portfolio.
As you’d expect from L.S. Lowry, ‘Sunday Afternoon’ depicts a densely-populated industrial landscape, which the Stretford-born figure often described as the “battle of life”.
‘Sunday Afternoon’ was previously sold at auction in 1967 for a “record price” after being obtained from the collection of Keith Showering – who was a former chief executive officer of Europe’s biggest drinks business, Allied Breweries.
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A rare Lowry painting is going on public display for the first time in nearly 60 years / Credit: Smabs Sputzer (via Flickr)
And now, it’s set to go to auction once again in a couple of weeks time with auction house, Christie’s – which was founded in 1766, and was actually the auctioneers to sell the painting the first time round in the mid-60s – down in London as part of the Modern British and Irish Art Evening Sale on Wednesday 20 March.
The auction house said the painting is expected to fetch somewhere between £4-6 million when it goes up for sale.
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But not before it gets publicly displayed for the first time in 57 years, that is.
Speaking ahead of the highly-anticipated auction next month, Phillip Harley – who is the Senior Director at Christie’s, commented: “Sunday Afternoon by LS Lowry will return to the public eye at Christie’s for the first time since it was last seen here 57 years ago.
‘Sunday Afternoon’ can be seen by the public before it goes to auction next month / Credit: The Lowry Gallery
“This important painting has remained in the collection of Sir Keith and Lady Showering since 1967, offering a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire a work of this magnitude and scale. The composition represents the wonder the artist felt as he recorded his many observations of the evolving society around him.
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“We are thrilled to bring Sunday Afternoon back to auction.”
Clients and visitors, alike, are invited to view ‘Sunday Afternoon’ when it goes on free display in London from 13 – 20 March.
So, if you fancy a trip down to the capital, a rare art piece is ready and waiting for you.
Featured Image – Christie’s Images LTD 2024
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Heartbreaking new figures show 35% of all children in the North West are living in poverty
Emily Sergeant
35% of all children in the North West are currently living in poverty, some heartbreaking new figures have revealed.
Some new research carried out to understand regional levels of child poverty, conducted by Loughborough University for the End Child Poverty Coalition, has sadly revealed over a third (35%) of all children in the North West are living in what is called ‘relative poverty’, after the cost of housing is considered – which is higher than the national average standing at 31%.
Over in the Lancashire authority of Pendle, this figure reaches 45%, making it the second highest rate of all local authorities in the country.
In Greater Manchester, both Oldham and Manchester join Pendle in the list of the 10 council areas with the highest child poverty rates in the UK, as well as Blackburn with Darwen, and Hyndburn, and to make matters worse, the North West features on the list more times than any other region nationwide.
Rusholme was identified as the Manchester area with the highest percentage rating – with more than half (51.3%) of all children there living in poverty.
88% of constituencies across the North West have a quarter of children in poverty.
This could lead to things like families being forced to use food banks, children going without warm clothes in winter, or living in cold or unsafe housing.
As a result of these shocking statistics being revealed, the End Child Poverty Coalition – which represents more than 135 organisations across the UK – is calling on the Government to meet its manifesto commitment to address these high levels of child poverty, not just in the North West but also across the rest of country.
“These figures should demonstrate to Government just how important it is to quickly address this so to prevent another generation of children from growing up in low-income families,” commented Rachel Walters, who is the End Child Poverty Coalition Manager.
“The Government’s strategy to tackle child poverty must invest in children in areas with higher levels of poverty, like the North West.”
Graham Whitham, who is a End Child Poverty Coalition spokesperson and the Chief Executive of Resolve Poverty, added: “No child should go without the things they need to be healthy and happy.
“The Government’s forthcoming national Child Poverty Strategy must demonstrate a clear ambition to ending child poverty in this country, backed by specific targets and immediate investment in social security.”
Featured Image – RawPixel
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Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road to close for annual safety checks this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road is set to close this weekend while annual safety checks are carried out, it has been confirmed.
As Manchester City Council looks to maintain and improve what is, by far, one of Manchester’s busiest and most-used roads, given the fact it is the main thoroughfare in and out of the city centre, it has been confirmed that Mancunian Way is set to close overnight this weekend for its annual inspection.
Carried out every year, the Council explains that these closures ensure that ‘vital’ safety inspections can be conducted to allow the major road to continue operating as normal.
The overnight closure will take place from 7-8 June.
From 5am on Saturday (7 June), Mancunian Way will be closed in both directions along its entire length, including all slip roads, between the Chester Road roundabout and Fairfield Street, and this will last until 7pm on Sunday (8 June), after which the road will be open to traffic again as normal.
In the meantime while the closures are underway, the Council assures that a signed diversion route will be in place via the north and eastern ring road sections – Trinity Way and Great Ancoats Street – and a local diversion route will be signed via Bridgewater Street, Whitworth Street West, Whitworth Street, and Fairfield Street.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way is closing for annual safety checks this weekend / Credit: Pixabay
During this period there will also be a lane closure east/westbound at the Deansgate Interchange between 6:30-9:30am, and the inbound lane of Princess Road (heading towards Manchester) between 6:30am and 11:15am.
As is to be expected with these kinds of tasks, Councillors say they are preparing for a ‘level of disruption’ but are intending to keep it to a minimum.
“The annual inspection of the Mancunian Way is a vital job which ensures that the tens of thousands of daily users of this road can go about their journey in safety,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport.
“We do expect a level of disruption throughout this process so wherever possible we’d advise people to travel via public transport, or plan an alternate route ahead to avoid the work locations.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd February 2024 
