Laurence Stephen Lowry (1887-1976)

Much-loved Mancunian painter!

English painter born during the Victorian Age. A lonely recluse who never married or had a girlfriend. During the day, for over 40 years, he worked as a rent collector. "A Sunday painter who painted everyday of the week." Famous for alluring paintings of industrial landscapes and 'matchstick men'.

Lowry became interested in the industrial scene after missing a train at Pendlebury station, he saw the Acme Spinning Company’s mill turning out: "I watched this scene – which I’d looked at many times without seeing – with rapture."

Lowry was proud of the honorary degrees he received from the Universities of Salford and Liverpool, and of his membership of various artist societies, in particular, the Royal Academy.