Laurence Stephen Lowry
1887 – 1976
The Tolbooth, Glasgow
1947
Oil on board
55 x 45.5 cm
Purchased 1955 © The Estate of L.S. Lowry. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2017. Photography Norman Taylor
This is a rare painting of Glasgow by Lowry, made when he visited the city in 1946/7. It depicts Tolbooth Steeple, which stands at Glasgow Cross in the old heart of the city. Known for his ‘matchstick’ people and townscapes featuring factories and mills, Lowry was probably attracted to the tower because it echoed the industrial chimneys of northern England.
The Tolbooth, Glasgow was purchased following the exhibition Paintings and Drawings by L S Lowry and Josef Herman, Pottery by Nehemiah Azaz at Wakefield Art Gallery, 6 May–11 June 1955.
In the early 1960s Helen Kapp, Director of Wakefield Art Gallery, approached Lowry to paint a view of Wakefield for the collection (see gallery below). Sadly, the funds could not be found.
The Hepworth Wakefield Art & Artists
£7.95
This new publication, a guide to our collection, is now available to purchase from the shop.
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