Over the course of the twentieth century, L. S. Lowry came to be hailed as the principal twentieth-century painter of the British industrial landscape. His scenes of factory workers in the manufacturing cities of northern England became iconic of Britain’s proud but declining industrial economy. The Market Place is one of his finest townscapes and its first owner, the British born collector Rhoda Pritzker, considered it one of the most prized paintings in her collection in Chicago. Her father, however, was less impressed, and she recalled being amused by his reaction to the painting. On hearing that the purchase price was £100, he replied, “Oh luv, you’ve been had.” Gallery label for A Decade of Gifts and Acquisitions (Yale Center for British Art, 2017-06-01 - 2017-08-13)
