L.S. Lowry
L. S. Lowry, Our Town (1943). Oil on canvas. Purchased from the artist, 1944. © Touchstones Rochdale, Rochdale Arts & Heritage Service.
Admission
From Free - £15.95
Adults £14.50/£15.95*
Concessions £10.25
Members FREE
MK residents £1 every Tuesday
Under 21s FREE
Art Fund Pass £7.25
Pay What You Can £5 – £15, first Sunday of every month
*Including donation
Please note, we are a cashless venue. You can read more here: Terms and Conditions – MK Gallery
Exhibitions
24 October 2026 - 28 February 2027
This solo exhibition of the work of Laurence Stephen Lowry (1887 – 1976) marks the 50th anniversary of the Painter’s death, and 13 years since his last significant institutional show. Lowry was a British painter, best known for his industrial landscapes of northwest of England. He was born in Stretford, Greater Manchester and studied at the Municipal College of Art, Manchester, Salford School of Art and Manchester Academy of Fine Arts while working as a clerk and rent collector – a job he continued until his retirement in 1952.
Lowry famously worked with just five colours of undiluted oil paint: ivory black, vermillion, Prussian blue, yellow ochre and flake white. Around 1915, his tutor Bernard Taylor advised him that his paintings were too dark and from then on he painted on a white ground – against which his shadowless, dark outlined shapes stood out. This became his signature technique and aesthetic. Less well known are his early academic studies from the antique and the life room in pencil and charcoal, detailed pencil drawings of city locations and works in pastel and watercolour.
Lowry is an extremely popular artist in Britain, however, his work outside the iconic industrial scenes remains little known. This exhibition aims to provide an overview of all his themes and subjects, from landscapes and seascapes to portraits and surreal imaginings. He was also a complex character who kept his life and art separate and encouraged many of the myths that now surround him: that he was solitary, self-taught, disconnected from art history and the modernist tradition. Lowry’s career ran alongside huge changes in British society which saw the workers, mills, terraced housing and urban landscapes he painted bombed, cleared and replaced. All these themes will be explored within the exhibition.
Guided Exhibition Tours
Join our insightful tour guides for a deep-dive into the exhibition.
Conversational Tours: Tuesdays and Sunday, 11am (max 10 per tour)
General Tours: Tuesdays and Saturdays, 2pm
