LS Lowry artwork goes on display in school

Schoolchildren have had the chance to see an LS Lowry artwork in the classroom after the painting was sent out on loan.

The streetscape went on display at the Lowry Academy in Worsley, Salford, Greater Manchester, on loan from the Tate for a series of arts and careers workshops.

It is the first time the gallery has loaned a work from its collection to a school.

The painting, Dwelling Ordsall Lane, Salford 1927, shows a crowd of children on the corner of a street.

Helen Legg, director of Tate Liverpool and Tate’s National Partnerships, said: “Tate’s collection of art is a national resource and it must be shared right across the country and beyond.

“That mission is the reason Tate Liverpool was set up in the 1980s and it remains at the heart of Tate’s work today.

“We lend hundreds of artworks to UK venues large and small every year, and I’m delighted that we have been able to bring a painting by one of our best-loved artists to the school that bears his name.”

Students at the school, named in honour of the artist, took part in activities including creating responses to the painting and learning about the skills needed to deliver an art exhibition.

Arts minister Ian Murray said: “There’s every chance that the next iconic artist of a generation is growing up in Salford right now, and this first ever loan from the Tate to a school is the perfect chance to inspire Salford’s young people and ignite the creativity that’s inside each and every one of them.”

School principal Claire Coy said the pupils had “thoroughly enjoyed” seeing the artwork.

She said: “We are so proud to be the first ever school to host a piece of art from the Tate, and none other than a painting created by the artist after whom our school is named.”

Lowry is known for his urban landscapes with “matchstick” figures of people.

In 2024, his painting Sunday Afternoon sold for almost £6.3 million at auction.