“We can’t wait to share it with the public” – ‘Historic’ painting to go on display at The Lowry

It will take pride of place in The Lowry’s permanent exhibition ‘LS Lowry: The Art and The Artist’. The exhibition is home to the largest collection of public paintings and drawings by LS Lowry.

The painting was acquired through the government’s Acceptance in Lieu scheme. The scheme, notably created by Lloyd-George himself, allows inheritance tax debts to be written off in exchange for objects of national importance.

The Work

The ‘important’ painting dates back to 1958. It is a large oil on canvas painting that values at over a quarter of a million pounds, accepted in lieu of £262,500. It is the first time that an object in lieu has been allocated to The Lowry.

It depicts the birthplace of former PM David Lloyd-George in modern day Chorlton. Born in 1863, Lloyd-George is often described as ‘the most famous Welshman ever born in Manchester’. He became a member of parliament in 1890 and served as PM from 1916-1922.

Lloyd-George, famously known for guiding Britain through the first world war and into the roaring twenties, is also the only full Welsh PM to have spoken English as his second language.

The Lowry

The painting will be put on show in LS Lowry’s personal exhibition. Run as a permanent attraction, the painting will be on show year round from when the gallery can re-open; The Lowry is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Galleries, alongside many other entertainment and cultural venues, are planned to re-open on May 17.

Edward Harley OBE, chairman of the Acceptance in Lieu Panel, said: “I am delighted that this painting by LS Lowry of the birthplace of David Lloyd-George in Manchester has been acquired by The Lowry through The Acceptance in Lieu scheme.

“It is particularly gratifying that this is the first time an object in Lieu has been allocated to the Lowry, and all the more welcome that it should be such an evocative painting.”

Did you hear? We’re getting a new addition to the permanent #LSLowry collection. WATCH the moment we took delivery of the work. pic.twitter.com/b9XPiqRQZU

— The Lowry (@The_Lowry) April 19, 2021

The chief executive of The Lowry, Julia Fawcett OBE, adds: “We are delighted to welcome this historic addition to our collection.

“Lowry often recorded the ebb and flow of people’s daily lives – and the striking absence of any living soul in this work is an unsettling reminder of what we have all experienced over the last year. We can’t wait to share it with the public when our galleries re-open in May.”

The Future

Enthusiasts of the Arts haven’t long to wait before they can behold this addition in person. In accordance with Step 3 of the governments lockdown roadmap, The Lowry are opening the doors to all exhibitions on May 22.

Alongside this permanent ‘The Art and The Artist’ exhibition, the public will also be able to see a physical display of the virtual ‘Days Like These’ exhibition. This tells the story of Salfordian’s experiences of lockdown using paintings, photographs films and poetry.

On top of this, socially distanced theatre performances are also on offer. To find out more about their re-opening, visit their website here.

Right hand image: Image credited to John on Flickr: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/