Jerwood Foundation Supports L.S. Lowry RA Exhibition and Catalogue at MK Gallery

Jerwood Foundation has awarded MK Gallery a £20,000 grant to support a 200-page monograph on L.S. Lowry, published to accompany a retrospective of his work. The project will provide a wide-ranging overview of the artist’s career, from early academic studies to late works infused with surrealist elements, as well as his celebrated industrial landscapes and crowd scenes. The monograph will include new research, scholarship and perspectives from writers Ella Nixon, Claire Stewart and Chris Waters, alongside contributions from artists Maggi Hambling CBE RA, Merlin James, George Shaw and Linder Sterling.

 

L.S. Lowry: The Theatre of Life will be the first major exhibition dedicated to the British artist Laurence Stephen Lowry (1887–1976) in more than 13 years. Presented as the culmination of a year-long celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the artist’s death.

 

Jerwood Collection’s, The Canal Bridge (1944), will be on loan and shown within the wider context of the artist’s practice, alongside more than 140 paintings and drawings from The Lowry, Tate, the Royal Academy of Arts and other private collections.

 

Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee of Jerwood Foundation, said:

This grant for MK Gallery’s forthcoming L.S. Lowry exhibition completes a trilogy of Jerwood-supported catalogues, following our focus on Euan Uglow and Vanessa Bell. Funding this catalogue, which includes new scholarship on Lowry's work and highlights lesser-known aspects of his practice, alongside lending The Canal Bridge (1944) from our collection, underscores Jerwood’s deep commitment to supporting excellence in UK arts

Anthony Spira, Director of MK Gallery, said:

We are thrilled to have Jerwood’s generous support, which will enable us to produce an important new monograph examining Lowry’s work from a contemporary perspective. Jerwood is a vital champion of British art, and we are deeply grateful for its continued commitment to supporting research, scholarship and the celebration of artistic excellence. This support will help ensure that Lowry’s enduring contribution to British culture can be explored afresh by new audiences and future generations.

MK Gallery brings world-class exhibitions and events together with pioneering learning and community programmes to Milton Keynes. L.S. Lowry: The Theatre of Life will be open from 24 October 2026 to 28 February 2027.

 

For further information please visit MK Gallery.

September 21, 2026