Laurence Stephen Lowry, R.A. (1887-1976)
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Laurence Stephen Lowry, R.A. (1887-1976)

Old Steps

Details
Laurence Stephen Lowry, R.A. (1887-1976)
Old Steps
signed and dated 'L S Lowry 1960' (lower right)
oil on canvas
22 x 12 in. (56 x 30.5 cm.)
Provenance
with Lefevre Gallery, London.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 28 February 1975, lot 148.
with Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, where purchased circa 1976.
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Painted in 1960, the present work is similar in composition to Lowry's earlier work, The Steps, Irk Place, 1928. In both, houses at either side frame the composition, figures are portrayed in the foreground and steps lead up to a view of a distant church in the background.

The lamp-post which stands at the top of the steps in this painting is a recurring motif in Lowry's work. It is sometimes seen as a lonely image and often painted a single lamp-post in the centre of the composition, as in the present work. Andras Kalman recalls, 'When, in later life, Lowry was asked his advice by young artists, he was fond of saying: 'No need to go to London to become a famous painter. You won't find better lamp-posts there'' (see A. Kalman, L S Lowry Conversation Pieces, London, 2003, p. 122).

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