Being an auction house based in the West Midlands, we are lucky enough to enjoy the fruits of both Northern School artists as well as those further south. However, just a small scratch of the surface of the art market over the last few years will show a sort of ‘buzz’ surrounding Northern School and Industrial art.
To give you an example, one of our buyers favourites is Northern artist, Steven Scholes, whose scenes of mid 20th Century terraced streets of Manchester and industrial factory chimneys bring around nostalgic memories of austerity and a shift in our country’s industry.
We of course cannot talk about Northern Art without mentioning the Godfather of this genre – L.S. Lowry. Despite reaching fame during his artist unlike a number of great artists, it seems even now in 2016, 40 years after his death, we cannot get enough of his notorious matchstick men.
http://www.artfund.org/news/2016/02/17/five-must-see-works-by-ls-lowry
A boom for demand, even in his limited edition prints is undeniable – even those unsigned! In fact, let’s face it, it never really went away.
The Northern School formula of rows of rooftops and smoking towers, lends itself well to another popular genre on the art market – Naïve Art. Although Naïve art is by no means a new phenomenon, conjuring images of disproportionate 19th Century children and farm animals, many Contemporary Northern Artists are excelling in this style, such as David Barrow.
Another of our favourites is Simeon Stafford. Known for his playful colour filled scenes of St Ives and Cornwall, Stafford if certainly influenced by Northern School greats L.S. Lowry and Alan Lowndes and has dominated many auction sales in the last few years.
We frequently offer work by Northern artists, both Contemporary and traditional, often being our strongest selling lots of the sale. So if you have a genuine Lowry lying under the bed, give us a call and this could be your year to retire!
From Catherine