lowry

Lowry, Laurence Stephen (1887-1976) , painter; educated at Victoria Park School, Manchester; began work with firm of accountants, 1905; attended evening classes at Manchester Municipal College of Art, 1905-15 and at Salford School of Art, 1915-20; rent-collector and clerk with Pall Mall Property Co. in Manchester, 1910-52, kept job a closely guarded secret; many pictures painted by artificial light at night, hence the absence of shadows; his imagination haunted by the Stockport Viaduct and other industrial scenes; …

…in 1966. Ten years later, in the year he died, a comprehensive retrospective exhibition of his work at the Royal Academy brought considerable divergence of opinion among critics. Some thought of him as a great artist with an important original vision. Others represented him as a very minor talent, although interesting as a social commentator. Lowry's work is in many British collections, including the Tate Gallery, Manchester City Art Gallery, and Salford Museum and Art Gallery.