How much is a painting worth?

A year ago, I watched as LS Lowry’s iconic painting, Going to the Match, was rehung on the walls of our gallery. It was a day that confirmed my belief that art really does matter and the day The Lowry got its mojo back.

Just a few months earlier we had the devastating news that the painting was to be sold at auction. The popular and much-loved artwork had been hanging in our gallery since our opening in 2000, thanks to a generous loan from its owners, the Professional Footballers’ Association. 

Once sold, there was no guarantee the new owners would continue this arrangement. Our fear was it would no longer be on public view following its at Christies in October 2022 and its loss would be a body blow for the institution that bears the artist’s name. 

National and regional campaign

News of the intended sale couldn’t have come at a worst time. In spring 2022, The Lowry, along with the rest of the UK cultural sector, was still in the early stages of recovery following lengthy Covid-enforced closures. 

And now dealing with the twin impacts of the war in Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis, it was still working out where culture would fit in this new world. We certainly didn’t have the resources to buy the painting ourselves. 
 
We passionately believed Going to The Match needed to remain on public view and we were determined to do what we could to ensure this. BUT we would need help and, given the enormous challenges the country faced, would anyone else care?
 
We had a few short weeks before the auction and we knew we had to capture the imagination of the public and the media so launched a national and regional campaign to raise the profile of the sale, and the threat to the painting remaining on public view.

For future generations

It was so important to us, and to the City of Salford, that an artwork which speaks so directly to the people of the North was brought permanently back to where it belongs, to be enjoyed by generations for years to come.
 
From the moment we launched the campaign we knew art matters, this painting matters. It clearly meant so much to so many people as we were overwhelmed with support: the public response, the support of politicians like our city mayor Paul Dennett, the media who got behind us so wholeheartedly, and the incredible generosity of Andrew and Zoe Law whose donation enabled us to bid for the painting.
 
So last October I found myself sitting on the front row at Christie’s, auction paddle in hand, prepared to do what I could to bring that painting home. The relief when the auctioneer’s gavel came down and we’d secured it was incredible.

Important part of our northern heritage

Going to the Match is a masterpiece. For that reason alone, it was important to secure it so future generations could come and see it, for free, forever. And yet, in buying it felt that we were securing more than an incredible piece of art. Maybe it was heightened by the pandemic times we in, when so many of the things that enrich our lives had been lost.
 
At The Lowry, we have seen over 22 years just how much this painting delights people of all ages; those who love art, those who love football and those who celebrate the quintessentially Northern culture. 

It’s a piece of people’s history; a part of their story. To lose it felt like losing a part of our northern heritage, at a time when that was more important to us than ever. While it sometimes felt like an impossible mission to keep it here, we had to try.
 
So, one year ago I watched the painting returned to our walls and joined in the celebrations. It was a joyous occasion. 

Seeking the widest possible audience

We are now working with other galleries across the North to ensure the painting can be enjoyed by the widest possible audience and communities. It’s already gone on tour to Bolton, where it was viewed by the public – and the King and Queen on a royal visit. 
 
And as part of our commitment to the people of the North West, the painting will soon start a regional tour and will be seen in Oldham, Blackpool, Birkenhead, Bury and Manchester.
 
The journey we went on had many twists and turns, but I’m glad we didn’t give up. It restored my faith that sometimes remarkable things really can happen, against all the odds.

Julia Fawcett OBE is Chief Executive of The Lowry in Salford.
 thelowry.com/
@The_Lowry