IT is without doubt one of the most well-known work within the nation -LS Lowry’s Going to the Match, which reveals droves of soccer followers heading to Burnden Park
The art work, depicting a bustling throng of individuals gathered at Burnden Park soccer stadium former house of the Bolton Wanderers, is amongst a sequence of work going below the hammer at Christie’s Fashionable British and Irish Artwork night sale on October 19.
And there are fears it might be offered to a personal collector and never on public show.
The mayor of Salford mentioned that might be “actually tragic”.
Paul Dennett, mayor of Salford, mentioned that the brand new proprietor of the portray should preserve it “free to entry” within the metropolis of Salford, better Manchester and the North.
On Twitter he wrote: “LS Lowry’s ‘Going to the Match’ captures the essence of the match day expertise inside our working class communities in 1953, with odd males, ladies and youngsters streaming into the bottom, capturing the sociology of soccer fairly than the commercialism of the match itself.
“It might be actually tragic for our footballing neighborhood, heritage and proud working class historical past right here in Salford, Better Manchester and the North if this iconic portray ceased to be free to entry as a part of LS Lowry’s greatest assortment of work and drawings @The_Lowry.
“Wouldn’t or not it’s actually tragic if this iconic LS Lowry portray ‘Going to the Match’ was offered to a personal collector and ceased to be free to entry by individuals right here within the Metropolis of Salford because it has been for the previous 22 years on the partitions of @The_Lowry?”
Julia Fawcett, chief govt of the Lowry museum and gallery, advised the Guardian that the gallery was not able to purchase the portray, which is estimated to fetch as much as £8 million.
Nevertheless, she mentioned that they want to have a dialog with the customer concerning the “accountability that comes with proudly owning such a piece”.
“This isn’t simply any portray. Now we have college journeys, youngsters coming to review the work. It’s clearly linked to the social historical past of our metropolis. It’s seen not simply by conventional artwork lovers, the portray attracts within the odd individuals it represents. Now we have coachloads of soccer followers coming in forward of a match,” she mentioned.
In 1999, Going to the Match was purchased by the Skilled Footballers Affiliation for £1,926,500 together with patrons premium at Sotheby’s – a file worth at public sale for a Lowry and any fashionable British portray