Going To The Match: Iconic painting to remain at The Lowry in Salford following £7.8 million auction success

The Lowry in Salford has announced it has been successful in its bid for the famous LS Lowry painting Going To The Match. The painting depicts fans heading to a football match at the old home of Bolton Wanderers FC and has been purchased by the gallery for £7.8 million.

The painting has been on loan at The Lowry since 2000 but was recently put up for auction by its owners The Professional Football Association (PFA). However, thanks to the generous support of The Law Family Charitable Foundation, the painting is now a permanent member of The Lowry’s collection.

The auction win, which took place at the Modern British & Irish Art Sale at Christie’s in London on Wednesday October 19, means the Lowry can now keep the iconic painting on public view with free access.

Julia Fawcett OBE, CEO of The Lowry, said yesterday: “We firmly believe that this iconic artwork must remain on public view, so it can continue to be seen by the broadest possible audiences, for free. This evening, thanks to an incredibly generous gift from The Law Family Charitable Foundation, we are delighted to have purchased the painting 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. A great deal of work has been needed to make this intervention possible – I’d like to thank Andrew and Zoë Law, our Chair Sir Rod Aldridge, Salford’s City Mayor Paul Dennett and our Trustees for all of their support.”

Paul Dennett, Salford’s city mayor, said: “LS Lowry, Salford’s greatest and most iconic artist, made his name depicting working-class life – as such we emphatically believed Going to the Match should remain on public view free to access where everyone can see it. I am delighted that our campaign to save this critical and important painting has successfully resulted in The Lowry securing it  tonight, for the city of Salford in perpetuity for generations to come, for residents and visitors to our great City.”