Lowry painting on display in football exhibition

Going to the Match depicts fans attending a Bolton Wanderers game in 1953

One of LS Lowry’s most celebrated works has gone on display as part of an exhibition on football culture.

Going to the Match, showing fans arriving for a Bolton Wanderers game at their former home, Burnden Park, was bought at auction for £7.8m by Salford’s Lowry gallery in 2022.

It followed calls for the 1953 painting to remain on public view near the artist's former home in the city.

The painting will be on display Bury Art Museum until 1 March as it tours northern England, enabling more people to see it for free.

'Camaraderie and culture'

The painting had previously been owned by the Professional Footballers' Association union.

Items loaned by Bury Football Club supporters will also be exhibited at the town’s art museum, alongside photographs exploring fan culture.

The museum said it was curating an exhibition celebrating the camaraderie and culture of Northern football to complement Lowry's work.

"Our new exhibition explores the rich culture around football in the North West, regardless of club colours," the museum said in a Facebook post.

"We’re sharing a snapshot of what it means to be a fan, from the roar of the crowds to the camaraderie in the stands."

LS Lowry, who died in 1976, spent much of his life in Salford and his distinctive work is strongly associated with life in northern England.