LS Lowry believed his paintings would lose value after his death, he said in an interview he had never heard before.
Although the artist enjoyed some success in his later years, Lowry never expected that he would become one of Britain’s best-loved artists or that his paintings would sell for millions of pounds.
His 1953 painting of crowds of spectators streaming into a football stadium, on their way to a match, sold for £7.8m in 2022.
Half a century after his death, he has now been portrayed by Sir Ian McKellen in a BBC documentary, LS Lowry: The Unheard Tapes, which features a trove of previously unheard audio recordings.
Described as “the last words of a great artist,” he was a deeply private man, with McKellen lip-synching his dialogue.
On the tapes, the artist is heard saying: “Someday, you’ll be walking down some street and look into a junk shop window. You’ll see a picture upside down, cheap, marked 30 shillings. And it’s mine.”
Beginning in 1972, over a four-year period, Lowry gave his longest, most revealing interview to young fan Angela Barrett. She died in 2022 and the tapes were hidden in her Manchester home. They haven’t aired yet.
Lori bares his soul to her. He says his family and friends tease him about his paintings. “I didn’t make any money,” he said. “People laughed heartily at them … all my friends used to joke about it: ‘How’s the art business?’; ‘Are you making your fortune from it?’; ‘Don’t be such a fool, why don’t you give it up?'”
Lowry enrolled for evening art classes at the age of 17. On selling his first painting, he said: “It was in 1921. I got £5 for it. I was 34 … My family got the shock of their lives when I sold it. They couldn’t believe I could sell anything.”
When asked if his mother liked his paintings, Lowry replied: “No, I don’t think so. And my father [who worked as a clerk for an estate agent] I would have hysterics if I sold a picture. He couldn’t understand it.
Lowry was frustrated: “I’m often very, very tired. I’ve said many times what’s the point of doing this.”
Yet Lowry is loved by the public for his unique depictions of working-class town life, mill scenes and industrial landscapes in the North of England, populated by his characteristic matchstick men.
When his family faced financial difficulties, they moved to Pendlebury, Salford, then an area ravaged by pollution, noise and poverty: “I didn’t like it for a long time, and I couldn’t get used to it. And then I was drawn to it. I started thinking after a long time, has anyone painted this scene? And me?”
Asked if he preferred the “industrial” view to “beautiful places”, he replied: “I don’t like the south of England, that’s what you mean. It’s harmless. It’s gutless … dull … a terrible place.”
Lowry worked as a rent collector for the same Manchester property company for 42 years. He was afraid that if people knew about his day job, they would think that he only painted in his spare time and was therefore an enthusiast. He really wanted to be taken seriously.
One of his friends found out about his job only after he died in a documentary. “Someone told us, and honestly, we didn’t believe it. We thought they were mistaken. It was a little bit sad that one thought someone was so close to this guy and he kept a secret.”
“When Barratt credits him for putting the industrial scene on the map [with] These wonderful paintings”, Lori modestly replied: “It’s great. Thank you for that.”
He said: “I feel about my painting, I did as well as I could.”
LS Lory: The Unheard Tapes will be released on February 25 on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
