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| LS Lowry's Going To The Match sells for £7.8m at auction | LS Lowry's Going To The Match sells for £7.8m at auction |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Going to the Match went under the hammer on Wednesday evening | Going to the Match went under the hammer on Wednesday evening |
| An LS Lowry painting described as an "iconic masterpiece" has been sold at auction for a record-breaking £7.8 million. | An LS Lowry painting described as an "iconic masterpiece" has been sold at auction for a record-breaking £7.8 million. |
| Going To The Match depicts a bustling throng of people gathered at Burnden Park football stadium, former home of Bolton Wanderers. | Going To The Match depicts a bustling throng of people gathered at Burnden Park football stadium, former home of Bolton Wanderers. |
| The 1953 piece had been loaned to The Lowry arts centre in Salford by the Players Foundation. | The 1953 piece had been loaned to The Lowry arts centre in Salford by the Players Foundation. |
| But the foundation said the financial crisis meant it had to sell the work. | But the foundation said the financial crisis meant it had to sell the work. |
| The buyer has been confirmed as The Lowry art centre, bringing an end to fears that it could be removed from public display. | The buyer has been confirmed as The Lowry art centre, bringing an end to fears that it could be removed from public display. |
| It was among a series of paintings that went on sale at Christie's earlier, and sold for a hammer price of £6.6m with an additional buyers premium of £1.2m. | |
| The total sum is a new record price for a work by Lowry sold at auction. | |
| The sale was a record for a Lowry | The sale was a record for a Lowry |
| The sale was previously the subject of controversy, with the Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett insisting any new owner must keep it "free to access". | The sale was previously the subject of controversy, with the Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett insisting any new owner must keep it "free to access". |
| Lowry chief executive Julia Fawcett said the purchase was made possible "thanks to an incredibly generous gift from The Law Family Charitable Foundation". | Lowry chief executive Julia Fawcett said the purchase was made possible "thanks to an incredibly generous gift from The Law Family Charitable Foundation". |
| She added: "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." | She added: "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." |
| Andrew Law, who founded The Law Family Charitable Foundation with his wife Zoe, and has donated to the Lowry over the years, said the couple were "delighted" to have facilitated the purchase. | |
| He added: "This LS Lowry painting belongs in Salford on public view, close to his birthplace, where he was educated and where he lived." | |
| Lowry, who died in 1976, won first prize at an exhibition for Going To The Match | |
| Mr Dennett, who wrote to prominent local figures and business leaders asking for help to buy the work, said: "I am delighted our campaign to save this critical and important painting has successfully resulted in The Lowry securing it tonight. | Mr Dennett, who wrote to prominent local figures and business leaders asking for help to buy the work, said: "I am delighted our campaign to save this critical and important painting has successfully resulted in The Lowry securing it tonight. |
| "We emphatically believed Going to the Match should remain on public view. | "We emphatically believed Going to the Match should remain on public view. |
| "For the city of Salford in perpetuity for generations to come, for residents and visitors to our great city." | "For the city of Salford in perpetuity for generations to come, for residents and visitors to our great city." |
| Lowry, who died in 1976, spent much of his life in Salford and his work is strongly associated with the city. | Lowry, who died in 1976, spent much of his life in Salford and his work is strongly associated with the city. |
| Going To The Match is one of several football subjects painted by Lowry, who was always keenly interested in sport. | Going To The Match is one of several football subjects painted by Lowry, who was always keenly interested in sport. |
| Many of the pictures have either direct or imaginary links with Burnden Park, the then-home of Bolton Wanderers, which was only a few miles from where the artist lived. | Many of the pictures have either direct or imaginary links with Burnden Park, the then-home of Bolton Wanderers, which was only a few miles from where the artist lived. |
| It won Lowry first prize in a 1953 exhibition, which was sponsored by The Football Association, and was last auctioned in 1999, when it was acquired by the charity for about £2m. | It won Lowry first prize in a 1953 exhibition, which was sponsored by The Football Association, and was last auctioned in 1999, when it was acquired by the charity for about £2m. |
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