The work of LS Lowry has always captured the public’s imagination and I am delighted to present this selection of his oil paintings at Frieze Masters, a celebrated showcase for pioneering artists of the 20th century. Dating from 1944 to 1965, these exceptional works include sailing and street scenes, figure studies and a remarkable portrait. The gallery has dealt in paintings by LS Lowry since 1968, handling approximately 400 paintings by the artist, some of which we re-purchased at a later date. We held our first solo exhibition of the artist’s work in 1996, marking the twentieth anniversary of his death and reopened our Modern gallery at 33 New Bond Street with a Lowry exhibition in 2011. Since that time, Salford Art Gallery has built a new art complex with a gallery entirely devoted to Lowry in 2000 and the Tate has held its first major exhibition of his work, Lowry and the painting of modern life, which my son Jonathan and I were proud to sponsor, in 2013. This year, inspired by the purchase of Lowry’s masterful, Head of a man, 1965, we have sponsored Head of a man (with red eyes), 1938 in the collection of The Lowry, Salford.
