Christie’s 'Modern British and Irish Art Evening Sale' on March 20 achieved a total of £23.8 million ($30.1 million), marking a 23% increase year on year for the format.
Related: L.S. Lowry: 6 Things to Know
Leading the sale was Sunday Afternoon, a 1957 painting by L.S. Lowry, one of Britain’s most beloved 20th-century artists. Best known for his depictions of the industrial landscapes of the East Midlands, Lowry has been a recurrent favorite among collectors of British art.
Sunday Afternoon, like Lowry's most famous works, depicts a densely populated industrial landscape featuring bustling streets, factories, and mills.
On public view for the first time in 57 years, the painting was offered at auction from the Collection of Sir Keith and Lady Showering with an estimate of £4 to £6 million ($5-7 million). It last sold at auction in 1967, during the artist’s lifetime, realizing a record price for a painting by the artist at the time.
On March 20, it fetched £6,290,000 (about $7.8 million, buyer's premium included), the second highest price achieved for Lowry at auction, after Going To The Match sold at Christie's in 2022 for £7.8 million. Seven of the current top ten auction prices for Lowry’s work have been set at Christie's.
Related: Christie's Leads London March Evening Sales
Other highlights of the auction included Henry Moore’s Head (circa 1930), selling for £5,122,000 ($6.4 million), a record for a unique work by the artist; and Barbara Hepworth’s Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red, achieving £3,549,000 ($4.4 million).
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World auction records were also set for Pauline Boty with Epitaph to Something’s Gotta Give at £1,310,500 ($1.7 million), and R. B. Kitaj with Clerk’s Dream for £529,200 ($670,509.)
