CNN
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It has been described as “the best football painting ever” and is estimated to fetch up to $9 million at auction later this month. LS Lowries In “Going to the Match,” much-loved artwork could disappear from public display.
A 1953 painting depicting a crowd of Raleigh’s trademark matchstick-style figures making their way to a football stadium in the North West of England was put up for auction on 19 October and will remain for 22 years at Salford’s Raleigh Museum. housing could end. .
The mayor of Salford even called on wealthy football clubs and players to buy the painting and bring it to the public’s attention, and the imminent sale has stirred anxiety not only in the art world, but also about the painting’s future. .
Michael Simpson, visual arts director at the Raleigh Museum of Art, told CNN:
According to Christie’s, the painting is expected to fetch between $5.5 million and $9 million (£5 million to £8 million) at auction, and Mr Simpson says the temporary export ban will prevent the painting from selling even after the sale. would like to be guaranteed to remain in the UK.
In such cases, an independent panel will review the painting and advise the British government on whether it is considered a national treasure and ‘too important to leave the UK’.
Many feel that the North West of England is a natural home for ‘going to the match’ and nostalgic depictions of crowds at football games.
The small figures in the painting head towards Burnden Park, the former and now demolished home of the Bolton Wanderers, against a backdrop of factory chimneys and a gray cloudy sky.
A far cry from today’s billion-dollar industry of the Premier League, it offers a glimpse into mid-20th-century English football as spectators head straight from work to the game on Saturdays.
“In my opinion, this is probably the best football painting ever,” says London-based artist Mick Kirkbride. football art award Exhibition, tell CNN.
“It brings to mind everything about its release on Saturday – going to that cathedral with your hoard, your band, and your tribe. It says it all about.”
Painted when Lowry was at the peak of his powers, “Going to the Match”, like many of the artist’s works, has grown in popularity in recent decades.
Nearly 50 years after his death, his candid portrayal of the ordinary lives of ordinary people is highly regarded.
Raleigh used a restricted, largely monochrome palette to capture the brooding, industrial scenes around Manchester and Salford, amassing a large body of work over the course of his artistic career.
He produced several works that focused on sporting events, but “Going to the Match” is the most famous, as the painting’s estimated price suggests.
“For working-class people in the North who love looking at paintings, it’s just our Mona Lisa,” says Kirkbride. “For football fans, it’s an iconic thing… you don’t really think of iconic football pictures.”
The painting was commissioned by the Professional Football Association, the union representing footballers in England and Wales, in 1999 when then-CEO Gordon Taylor called it “the best football painting ever”. (PFA).
However, the PFA now has to sell the painting to fund charity work, including helping a former footballer with dementia.
Salford mayor launches campaign for temporary export ban to accompany ‘Going to the Match'[people] To help buy paintings and put them on public display in the city.”
“It’s achieved iconic status in the last 20 years or so since it was released to the public,” said Simpson, who believes the Lowry Museum has a “really good case” to keep the painting on display after its sale. I’m here.
“Before that, it was a private collection, so relatively few people knew about it.
The Lowry is a 15-minute walk from Manchester United’s Old Trafford Stadium and benefits from increased foot traffic when the club hosts home games as a pre-match meeting place for fans.
“A lot of people come and eat at our cafe and have a drink at the bar,” says Simpson. “They will go up and look at the paintings and meet people before they go to the game.”
But Simpson believes the next World Cup in Qatar could give overseas collectors an incentive to try to buy ‘Go to the Game’, and Kirkbride says Lowry’s popularity is growing. Considering this, I expect that this painting will sell for more than its appraisal value.
“This is the commodification of art against cultural heritage. This is a clash of two ideologies,” says Kirkbride. “Art is a commodity, it’s the currency of art. There’s a tough market going on there…it’s very, very fierce.”
Whatever the outcome of the auction, efforts over the past few weeks to keep the painting on display in the UK are a testament to Lowry’s artistic legacy and football nostalgic appeal.
“Anyone who has ever been to a football match can see themselves in the picture. It is about the shared experience of watching and participating in a match together. That’s why,” Simpson says.
“Lowry captures that brilliantly in his work.”