Not many artists can be described as household names in the North East but Norman Cornish and LS Lowry can surely claim that accolade and they will be in lights from this weekend at the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle.
New exhibition Kith and Kinship: Norman Cornish and LS Lowry opens on Saturday (July 20) featuring more than 50 paintings and sketches by the two men.
Likely to be of particular interest is a newly discovered self-portrait by Cornish, showing the ex-pitman from Spennymoor as a young man in his prime.
It came to light when Bowes conservator Jon Old was doing some restoration work on Cornish’s painting, Bar Scene, which is in the collection of Durham Learning Resources, a county council facility based in Spennymoor.
Removing an unusual looking board from the back of the painting, he found the self-portrait on the side that had been hidden from view.
Jon described the discovery as ‘quite magical’ and said he felt privileged to have been the first person to see it since Norman himself.
The painting, which will also now be part of the Durham Learning Resources collection, is the 29th known self-portrait by Cornish and something of a bonus for those who have worked on this new exhibition.
Visitors will get a sense of how each of the artists viewed particular places in the North and also how they were inspired by its people.
They will be greeted by self-portraits by both men and also a depiction of the influential Stone Gallery in Newcastle where they exhibited jointly several times over 15 years.
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Vicky Sturrs, director of programmes and collections at the Bowes, said: “The exhibition takes visitors on a journey from ‘meeting’ both artists to seeing their perceptions of the different environments they encountered.
“These, and the experiences shared by their friends, family and the wider community within those places, are beautifully documented throughout.
“The artworks span different themes, from community and working life to the role of women.”
Hannah Fox, executive director of the Bowes, said: “Cornish and Lowry capture life and its nuances in a way that everyone can understand and connect with.”
Among the pictures on display are Cornish’s Sarah Peeling a Potato, Miners on a Pit Road and The Busy Bar 1976. Among those by Lowry are Study of a Girl in Peasant Dress 1917, Lancashire Fair and A Cricket Match.
Shown together the bodies of work inevitably invite comparison but they also offer insights into the men whose work we might think we know but probably don’t entirely.
Cornish died in 2014 at the age of 94. His home studio has now been recreated at Beamish Museum where it is a popular attraction. His sketches and paintings remain hugely popular throughout the region.
He was an artist and a family man, as his artistic legacy shows. Sarah, the potato peeler, was his wife. Son John attended the exhibition launch to offer insights into his celebrated late father.
Lowry (the LS stood for Laurence Stephen) was born in Stretford and died in 1976, aged 88, when many mourned the man who peopled his depictions of Greater Manchester’s industrial landscape with distinctive ‘matchstick’ figures.
He never married and worked for some years as a rent collector. During the 1930s he took holidays in Berwick and, in later life, took a shine to Sunderland where he’d stay at the Seaburn Hotel.
Occasionally he would hand out little sketches to people he met, often on scraps of paper. I remember Vince Rea, who ran the Bede Gallery in Jarrow, showing me a couple he had been given.
Lowry is remembered as a rather enigmatic individual but people have also spoken about his sense of humour and mischief.
It would have been wonderful to see the two artists together and eavesdrop on their conversation, for each was a strong character. This exhibition is perhaps the nearest we’ll ever get.
From Saturday, Kith and Kinship: Norman Cornish and LS Lowry runs at the Bowes Museum until January 19, 2025.
There will be a dedicated space within the exhibition for visitors to share what kith and kinship mean to them. Details of opening times and admission charges can be found on the Bowes Museum website.
All images: Claire Collinson Photography
