Northern Art January 2025 - Sale Review

Top Results and Market Trends

With our first Northern Art Sale of 2025 complete, it’s always interesting to look back on results and see what patterns and trends have remained consistent across the years, and those which have started to emerge. As a buyer of Northern Art, these could also offer useful insights into which artists you should be investing in now, or simply give you an idea of which artists are leading in their current fields. As a whole though, the success of our last Northern Art Sale is a reflection of the popularity of the Northern Art School within the current art market. Wilson55 is currently the only auction house that holds these specialist, stand-alone Northern Art sales and over the years, these sales have seen Northern artists achieve top auction prices and set new auction records. This year has started no differently.

 

Familiar Faces

 

Leading our January 2025 Northern Art Sale was a returning favourite among collectors, Harold Riley (British 1934-2023). Consigned from a private collection within the North West, after first being acquired directly from the artist, Harold Riley’s oil painting, “Salford Boy in a Barrel”, sold for a hammer price of £7,800. This sale continues Riley’s streak of auction successes and defends his reputation as one of our most sought-after artists.

 

        

Harold Riley (British 1934-2023), "Salford Boy in a Barrel", oil on board. Sold: £7,800

Geoffrey Key (British 1941-), "Table Still Life", oil on canvas. Sold: £2,900

Geoffrey Key (British 1941-), "The Grooms", ink and wash. Sold: £1,300

 

Geoffrey Key (British 1941-) saw a series of high sales, with five of his artworks achieving well over the £1,000 mark. His still life paintings were of particular interest among buyers, with “Coffee Pots Grey” and “Table Still Life” selling for £3,300 and £2,900 respectively. His Northern background and close associations with other notable Northern artists means that he remains in demand among collectors of Northern Art, while the influence of Modernism reflected in his strong compositions and use of colour, also means that he appeals to wider collecting audiences. A smaller ink and wash drawing titled, “The Grooms”, sold for £1,300. This, and prices achieved for a selection of horse and rider paintings sold at the end of last year, shows us that Key’s horse imagery continues to lead his oeuvre.

 

The North West

 

As always, the landscape of the North West proved particularly popular, with depictions of Manchester, Stockport and Oldham by the likes of William Turner (British 1920-2013), John Thompson (British 1924-2011) and James Downie (British 1949-) etc. forming the majority of urban scenes sold during the auction. With many Northern Artists hailing from these areas, it comes as no surprise that theses areas should feature so often in their artworks, and their high sale rate and prices show that these nostalgic scenes continue to appeal to collectors. While Manchester has historically been considered the most commercial urban landscape in the Northern Art market, it was a depiction of the Liver Building in Liverpool by James Lawrence Isherwood (British 1917-1989) that achieved one of the top prices of the day, selling at a hammer price of £1,000. This could be a sign going forward that the city is emerging as a point of higher interest among art buyers, catching its artistic profile up with that of its music and film.

 

        

William Turner (British 1920-2013), "Haddon Road", oil on canvas. Sold: £2,700

James Downie (British 1949-), "Stockport Viaduct", oil on canvas. Sold: £240

James Lawrence Isherwood (British 1917-1989), A ship and the Liver Building, Liverpool, oil on board. Sold: 1,000

 

New Faces meet with Success

 

Our Northern Art Sale also saw a few new faces with the inclusion of several works by Ian Pearson (British 1967-) and Chris May (British 1961-), both of which were met with very positive responses and succeeded in establishing them a record at auction. These successes continue to show how our Northern Art Sales are constantly growing, speaking to the wider expansion of the Northern Art Market and the legacy of pioneering artists like L. S. Lowry (British 1887-1976) who continue to inspire both artists and art collectors alike.

 

    

Ian Pearsall (British 1967-), "Saggers (Pot Bank)", mixed media. Sold: £200

Chris May (British 1961-), "Reflections on a Bygone Era", acrylic on board. Sold: £240

 


 

We are now inviting entries for our next Northern Art Sale, taking place on Thursday 24th April. If you have any artworks that you may wish to consign to this sale, please contact us at auctions@wilson55.com or fill in our online valuation form for a free and up-to-date auction valuation from our Northern Art Specialist, Stephen Sparrow.

 

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