After a busy week of viewing and several bouts of competitive bidding on the day, the October edition of our ever-popular Northern Art Sale saw new auction heights reached for many of our featured Northern artists.
Original Lowry makes Highest Sale of the Day
Wilson55 were thrilled to have been able to offer an original L. S. Lowry watercolour in yesterday’s sale, which sold for £21,000 after it received a lot of well-deserved attention during both our viewing days and on social media. Titled “Three Figures”, the painting arrived at our saleroom with a rich paper trial which traced it back to the 1960s where it was exhibited at The Stone Gallery, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, through private collections and later, to the hands of Bill Clark at Clark Art Ltd., the famed Lowry specialist. Selling a piece of this quality with this much rich provenance is always exciting, and we’re very pleased to be a new part of its history. Alongside this original painting, the sale featured a stunning selection of Lowry limited edition prints, signed by the artist himself. “Castle on the Sands” sold for £5,300, while “Our Town” and “The Football Match” went for £2,300 and £2,000 respectively. As the cornerstone of the Northern Art genre, it comes as no surprise that Lowry continues to achieve such impressive prices at auction.
L.S. Lowry (British 1887-1976), "Three Figures", watercolour and pencil. Sold: £21,000
L.S. Lowry (British 1887-1976), "Castle on the Sands", limited edition two-tone lithograph. Sold: £5,300
Geoffrey Key Races Away
Another staple in our Northern Art Sales, Geoffrey Key had a particularly great day, with every one of his included artworks selling well within or exceeding estimates. These sale results are a testament to the market strength of Key’s horse-themed artwork and Northern landscapes, with a single-owner collection of early paintings and drawings featuring horses and their riders ‘racing away’ to prices like £2,900 and £2,300, to list just a few. Two beautiful paintings titled “Sunset Farm” and “Footbridge” achieved the outstanding hammer prices of £8,200 and £6,400. These results follow a great year for Geoffrey Key at Wilson55, with similarly themes lots achieving the top results in their own sales during previous months.
Geoffrey Key (British 1941-), "Horse & Rider", oil on canvas. Sold: £2,300
Geoffrey Key (British 1941-), "Sunset Farm", oil on canvas. Sold: £8,200
Auction Records Broken
With the sale of the two Helen Clapcott paintings in this sale, a new auction record was achieved for the artist. Her painting “Tiviot Dale and the Beehive Mills” sold for £3,800. Measuring at around 41 x 60cm, it is also the largest Clapcott painting to have been sold at auction, and it caught many an eye as it was hung up in our saleroom. The smaller “Brinksway, Autumn” also sold for an impressive £2,100, meaning that both examples smashed the artist’s previous auction record of £1,700, which was also set here at Wilson55 when her painting “Twenty-Two Arches” sold in 2023. Her paintings are full of detail and are clearly the products of both a patient hand and a passionate artist, attributes which our buyers clearly picked up on.
Helen Clapcott (British 1952-), "Tiviot Dale and the Beehive Mills", tempera on board. Sold: £3,800
Other Sale Highlights:
Arthur Delaney (British 1927-1987), Manchester street scene with cathedral, oil on board. Sold: £5,200
William Turner (British 1920-2013), "Brinksway, Stockport", oil on board. Sold: £2,000
David Barnes (British 1943-2021), Coastal view, oil on board. Sold: £1,700
Click here to view the full list of results from this sale
Due to an overwhelming response to this sale, we are very excited to announce that we will be holding an extra Northern Art Sale this winter, taking place on 27th November. We are now accepting consignments, so if you are interested in selling your Northern Art with us, please contact either Stephen Sparrow (stephen.sparrow@wilson55.com) or Anna Lambert (anna.lambert@wilson55.com) for a complimentary auction valuation.
A preview for this November sale is already available to view on our website, with new lots to be added each week.
