The Contraption
The Contraption
Signed Print
L. S. Lowry
£2,500-£3,650
$4,700-$7,000 Value Indicator
$4,250-$6,000 Value Indicator
¥22,000-¥30,000 Value Indicator
€2,850-€4,150 Value Indicator
$25,000-$35,000 Value Indicator
¥420,000-¥620,000 Value Indicator
$3,150-$4,600 Value Indicator
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
Medium: Lithograph
Edition size: 750
Year: 1975
Size: H 32cm x W 30cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | Lyon & Turnbull Edinburgh - United Kingdom | The Contraption - Signed Print | |||
| May 2023 | Whyte's - Ireland | The Contraption - Signed Print | |||
| March 2023 | Ewbank's - United Kingdom | The Contraption - Signed Print | |||
| March 2023 | Rosebery's Fine Art Auctioneers - United Kingdom | The Contraption - Signed Print | |||
| April 2022 | Bonhams Knightsbridge - United Kingdom | The Contraption - Signed Print | |||
| December 2020 | Bonhams Knightsbridge - United Kingdom | The Contraption - Signed Print | |||
| October 2019 | Rosebery's Fine Art Auctioneers - United Kingdom | The Contraption - Signed Print |
Meaning & Analysis
The inspiration for The Contraption came from the driver of the vehicle once having shouted abuse at Lowry. Intrigued, Lowry followed it down the street, since it seemed another despicable object of the modern town like the mills and the scenes of poverty that attracted him. Once he had painted the picture, he never saw the man or the contraption again - Lowry never drove and famously walked or took trains wherever he went. He had a street eye view of his subject and he was very much a part of his world. He lived in Manchester, worked as a rent collector and never married or had children. Although he had a normal job and mixed with the people he observed, Lowry worked every day after his shift finished. Once called a Sunday painter he retorted ‘I’m a Sunday painter who paints every day of the week!’ The contraption is a strange picture inspired by a single moment in a life of wandering around a place the artist knew like the back of his hand.
