LS LOWRY’S COUSIN LEAVES FAMILY HEIRLOOMS TO THE LOWRY IN HIS WILL

Geoffrey Shephard, who passed away in August 2016, was the grandchild of Annie Hall Shephard – a cousin of Lowry’s mother, Elizabeth.
 
The works bequeathed are: an oil painting entitled Sailing Boats 1912; an ink drawing on paper entitled Groups of Figures c1950; and a signed print of Deal, showing the harbour in Kent.
 
Lowry gave Sailing Boats 1912 to Geoffrey’s parents, William and Nellie, as a wedding present on their marriage in 1920. As second cousins, they were close friends throughout their lives, with Lowry acting as godfather to their eldest son, Ronald, Geoffrey’s older brother.

 
Julia Fawcett OBE, chief executive of The Lowry, said:

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“Given their family provenance, these works are an incredibly special addition to our collection.
 
“Sailing Boats was painted when Lowry was just 25 years old – many years before the critical and widespread recognition he went on to achieve. It depicts a subject matter we know Lowry’s mother approved of - and she wasn’t always that forthcoming with her approval - so I’m sure it was highly valued as a personal wedding gift.”

The Lowry Collection is owned by Salford City Council and is held in trust by The Lowry arts centre at Salford Quays. The work has been added to The Lowry’s permanent exhibition (LS Lowry: The Art & The Artist) - the world's largest public collection of paintings and drawings by the famous artist.
 
LS Lowry: The Art & The Artist
The Lowry, Pier Eight, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ
Sun-Fri, 11am-5pm. Sat, 10am-5pm.
Admission: Free. Donations Welcome.
 
In July 2014, The Lowry galleries were renamed The Andrew and Zoe Law Galleries in recognition of the couple’s £1m donation to the arts centre, which is a registered charity.