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Modern British and Irish Art

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Lot 17^AR

Laurence Stephen Lowry R.A.
(British, 1887-1976)
Three Men 33.7 x 24.1 cm. (13 1/4 x 9 1/2 in.)

29 May 2013, 14:00 BST

London, New Bond Street

Sold for £26,250 inc. premium

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Laurence Stephen Lowry R.A. (British, 1887-1976)

Three Men
signed and dated 'LS Lowry 1962' (lower right)
pencil
33.7 x 24.1 cm. (13 1/4 x 9 1/2 in.)

Footnotes

PROVENANCE:
With The Stone Gallery, Newcastle Upon Tyne

During the 1960s Lowry was particularly interested in exploring single figures and the relationship between groups of figures in his art. The majority of these works were executed around Manchester and Salford where the artist frequently exercised his voyeuristic tendencies as an incessant watcher of life and the observer of people.

In Three Men, which dates to 1962, Lowry presents a trio of characters all of whom display differing emotions. The figures are dressed in the clumsy and ill fitting clothes that the artist would often depict during this time and appear to be moving forward, almost lurching off the paper into our space. Whilst appearing to be contained within an arch, there is no further hint of a specific location thus creating a sense of mystery which has been alluded to by Michael Howard.

'Here, as in a number of small-group and single-figure works, his people are individualised in a way that his earlier inhabitants of the urban scene were not. Unlike his industrial figures, they are not set in a specifically urban framework; the world they inhabit is nebulous, uncertain and empty, as mysterious and ambiguous as they are themselves' (Michael Howard, Lowry, A Visionary Artist, Lowry Press, Salford Quays, 2000, p.195).

Additional information

The 29 May sale was the departments most successful auction to date making almost £5m.
Furthermore, it was 90% sold by value with some staggering results achieved for fresh, competitively priced material sourced from private collections. Over half of sold lots soared above their high estimates, indicating that Bonhams is best positioned to secure the best price for your Modern British & Irish Art.
The variety on offer within this genre continues to delight buyers, proven by exceptional results for post-war masters such as Auerbach, Scully, Hockney and Freud whilst the early-mid century examples by Spencer, Lavery, Burra and Moore also exceeded expectation. We were proud to break our own world auction record twice over in the same sale for a pencil drawing by L.S. Lowry. Agecroft Regatta sold for £211,250, pipping The Organ Grinder (£151,250) to the title. The sculpture and Irish content were similarly contended for by the packed saleroom and busy telephones.
The cover lot Garden Path, Cookham Rise by Sir Stanley Spencer fetched an impressive £769,250 while the much admired Oil-bound Puffin by Lucian Freud commanded £385,250 on the day, with both returning to private collections.
We are delighted to now invite consignments for the forthcoming auction on 20 November 2013.
Please contact a member of the department or visit the sale webpage for further information.
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