Lowry cityscape to headline London art fair at more than £3 million

A major L.S. Lowry cityscape will go on sale at the LAPADA Berkeley Square Fair in Mayfair from 27 October to 1 November, with a price tag above £3 million. The appearance of the 1960 painting underscores the fair’s role as a high-end market for museum-quality art and antiques.

Why it matters: - The painting is one of the most important cityscapes from L.S. Lowry’s mature period. - The work is expected to be one of the fair’s star attractions and a major draw for collectors. - The fair spans items priced from £500 to several million pounds, putting high-value works and entry-level pieces in the same market.

What happened: - A 30 x 40in oil on canvas by L.S. Lowry, titled Station Approach, Manchester, will be offered at the LAPADA Berkeley Square Fair in Mayfair. - The fair runs from 27 October to 1 November 2026. - The painting is priced at over £3 million. - MacConnal-Mason, the St James dealer handling the work, will display it as the star exhibit on its stand. - The fair is organized by LAPADA, the UK’s largest association of art and antiques dealers.

The details: - Station Approach, Manchester dates to 1960. - The composition is unusually faithful to the scene Lowry depicted. - The painting belongs to a group of large-scale works showing major landmarks, including Piccadilly Circus. - The central subject is the Victorian facade of the London and North-Western Railway’s Exchange Station, completed in 1884. - The station once linked Manchester with Liverpool, Huddersfield, Leeds, Hull, Newcastle and London Euston. - The crowded street scene shows figures moving past the statue of Oliver Cromwell, across the River Irwell and toward the station. - David Mason said the scale and ambition of the work place it among Lowry’s outstanding urban compositions. - Mason added that Lowry made a smaller version of the subject for the Royal Academy in 1962, the year he was elected a Royal Academician. - The painting has not appeared at auction for more than 40 years. - The work had been in a private UK collection before MacConnal-Mason acquired it. - More information is available at MacConnal-Mason.

Between the lines: - The low number of appearances at auction points to strong rarity value, which can support premium pricing. - The fair is positioning itself as a destination for both serious collectors and first-time buyers. - LAPADA is leaning on authentication and pre-vetting to differentiate the fair from broader decorative arts markets. - The timing alongside Christie’s and Sotheby’s auctions, plus Asian Art in London, suggests a deliberate effort to capture peak collector traffic in London.

What's next: - The painting will be on view during the six-day fair in Berkeley Square. - LAPADA will also stage talks and exhibitor-led sessions with collectors, curators, dealers and cultural experts. - The fair is expected to draw international visitors, continuing the event’s broad collector reach. - LAPADA says the 2025 fair welcomed more than 20,000 visitors across six days. - More details are available at the fair’s website.

The bottom line: - The Berkeley Square Fair is using a rare Lowry to anchor its 2026 edition and reinforce its place at the top end of London’s art and antiques calendar.