‘Lost’ Lowrys hidden in cupboard for 60 years

Drawings that were stored in deceased art teacher’s folder to be auctioned off for £20,000 apiece

THREE lost drawings by LS Lowry have been found after they lay hidden in an art teacher’s folder for 60 years.

The artworks were found among a bundle of other pictures once owned by a former teacher at the Liverpool School of Art. After her death, the pieces were sold and kept in a cupboard for decades.

However, while clearing out the collection in order to salvage a picture frame, the present owner of the works noticed the three hidden drawings, seemingly signed and dated by Lowry.

The works – depicting a tramp, a lady visiting a country cottage and a sketch of an English landscape – have been authenticated and are set to be sold at auction for £20,000 each.

Darryl Kirk, head of marketing at Unique Auctions, who are holding the sale, said: “They have never been seen before.

“It is unusual to get three original undiscovered Lowry drawings come to auction at the same time.”

He added: “They were produced in 1959 and 1961 which is when he was

‘It is unusual to get three original undiscovered Lowry drawings come to auction at the same time’

doing his industrial landscapes featuring matchstick men.”

Lowry, who lived in Lancashire, was famed for his depictions of the industrial North, particularly around the Manchester area. His works can command millions at auction.

The three rediscovered drawings now going up for sale were lost among a bundle of assorted drawings and prints once owned by Mary Morgan Lloyd, a Liverpool School of Art teacher who died 20 years ago.

Ms Morgan Lloyd was friends with Lowry, according to Unique’s auctioneers, who believe she was given the drawings by the artist in the late 1950s.

The pieces seem to have languished in a folder unseen for decades along with other artworks, all of which were sold to their current owner after Ms Morgan Lloyd’s death.

The present owner, a Lincolnshirebased art enthusiast who wishes to remain anonymous, did not know the bundle of art held works by Lowry. Mr Kirk explained: “The lady bought the collection from a relative of the late Mary Morgan Lloyd in the early 2000s.

“It consisted of many paintings, prints and ephemera relating to her. She didn’t realise what she had and just stored it away.

“Then, several months ago, she decided she wanted to reuse the frame that one print was in. She took it out and there were these two small drawings with Lowry’s signature on.

“She then went through the rest of the collection and found another Lowry sketch of two landscapes. She was very excited.

“Why they were there we don’t know but Lowry and Mary Morgan Lloyd were friends and so it is highly likely that he gave her these three drawings.

“The vendor thought there was no point keeping them, after all, she had them for 20 years without realising.

“They are fresh to the market and we hope they will attract a lot of interest.”

The three drawings will be sold on Oct 23. The sale comes amid renewed interest in Lowry after the announcement that the Professional Footballers’ Association was seeking to sell the famous canvas Going to the Match.

Paul Dennett, the mayor of Salford, called on footballers to buy the artwork to prevent it going to a private collection. It is currently on public display at The Lowry, an arts centre in Salford.