CHRISTIE’S MODERN BRITISH & IRISH ART EVENING AUCTION ACHIEVES A TOTAL OF
£20,564,100 / $23,155,177 / €23,525,330
THE SALE WAS LED BY L.S. LOWRY’S
GOING TO THE MATCH WHICH REALISED
£7,846,500
THE LOWRY IN SALFORD ACQUIRED THE PAINTING FOR PERMANENT DISPLAY IN THEIR GALLERIES
GOING TO THE MATCH WAS SOLD BY THE PLAYERS FOUNDATION TO RAISE VITAL FUNDS FOR THE CHARITY
L.S. Lowry’s Going to the Match sold for £7,846,500
THE MODERN BRITISH & IRISH ART EVENING SALE ACHIEVED A TOTAL OF £20,564,100 / $23,155,177 / €23,525,330, SELLING 93% BY LOT AND 94% BY VALUE
PHILANTHROPY
- Going to the Match by L.S. Lowry sold to The Lowry in Salford who were bidding in Christie’s saleroom. The work was acquired for £7,846,500, setting a new world auction record for the artist
- Julia Fawcett OBE, Chief Executive, The Lowry: “This evening, thanks to an incredibly generous gift from The Law Family Charitable Foundation, we are delighted to have purchased Going to the Match (1953) for the city’s collection of LS Lowry works. We look forward to bringing it home to Salford, where it can continue to delight and attract visitors to the Andrew and Zoë Law Galleries at The Lowry.”
- The painting was offered by The Players Foundation with proceeds being used to allow the organisation to continue its charitable work in, amongst other things, assisting with those who have dementia and relieving poverty amongst current or former professional players
- Spokesperson, The Players Foundation: “The Players Foundation are pleased with the outcome of the auction. These funds will enable the charity to continue to help professional players and wider society, through advice, grant aid and funding for research.”
- Going to the Match was painted for an exhibition in 1953, sponsored by The Football Association, where Lowry won first prize
- William Scott’s Frying Pan – Still Life, 1947 was sold for £756,000, with 100% of the hammer price for the lot benefitting the Brecknock Art Trust, a UK registered charity, with registered charity number 1086339
- Christie’s unprecedented support for philanthropic endeavours in 2022 will culminate with the historic sale of the Paul G. Allen Collection in New York
BRITISH ABSTRACTION: BARBARA HEPWORTH, MARLOW MOSS AND BRIDGET RILEY
- Marlow Moss’ White and Black sold for £378,000, setting a new world auction record for the artist at more than triple the low estimate of £100,000
- Barbara Hepworth’s Abstract embodies the artist’s mastery of geometric abstraction at this early point in her career. The painting sold for £163,800
- Bridget Riley, Painting with Two Verticals 3 sold for £1,242,000
- Two sculptures from The Eye of a Sculptor: Works from the David and Laura Finn Collection were presented:
- Small Maquette No. 2 for Reclining Figure (conceived in 1950) sold for £277,200
- Working Model for Two Piece Reclining Figure: Points (conceived in 1969-70) realised £1,482,000
- Rocking Chair No. 2 achieved £680,400
FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS
- Ben Nicholson, 1968 (Delos 2) (£541,800)
- Winifred Nicholson, Japanese Anemones (£88,200)
- L.S. Lowry, Unemployed (£1,242,000)
- L.S. Lowry, On the Sands sold online for £693,000
- Frank Auerbach, J.Y.M. Seated (£1,242,000)
- Leon Kossoff, Small Landscape with St Paul’s No. 1 (£100,800)
- The Collection of The Late Robert and Shirley Robins:
- Patrick Heron, 3 Reds: 1967 (£100,800)
- Barbara Hepworth, Three Forms (Tokio) (£730,800),
- Barbara Hepworth, Two Forms from Delos (£504,000)
- Paul Nash, The Bridge, Romney Marsh (£352,800)
- Sir William Nicholson, The Marquess of Wellington Jug (£277,200)
MODERN BRITISH & IRISH ART EVENING SALE:
Number of lots offered: 29
Number of lots sold: 27
Sold by lot: 93%
Sold by value: 94%
Global reach reflected in registered bidders from 11 countries, across 4 continents
20% of new registrants to the Modern British & Irish Art Evening Sale were millennials
Please find the full results available below:
