Lowry's 'Going to the Match' sells for £7.8 million

LS Lowry's famous painting 'Going to the Match' will remain on public display after it was bought by the Lowry museum for £7.8 million (€9 million) at auction on Wednesday.

It was feared that the painting, which has been available to view at the museum for the past 22 years, could disappear into a private collection when it was put up for sale by the Players' Foundation earlier this year.

The Players' Foundation is the former charitable arm of the Professional Footballers' Association, which bought the painting for £1.9 million (2.2 million) in 1999. The Players' Foundation is now a separate legal and operational entity.

'Going to the Match' was painted in 1953 and depicts supporters on their way to a game at the old Burnden Park stadium in Bolton, against a backdrop of terraced houses and factories.

The museum's bid was facilitated by a gift from the Law Family charitable foundation, set up by hedge fund manager Andrew Law and his wife Zoe.

The Lowry museum's chief executive Julia Fawcett said: "We firmly believe that this iconic artwork must remain on public view, so it can continue to be seen by the broadest possible audiences, for free. "This evening, thanks to an incredibly generous gift from the Law Family Charitable Foundation, we are delighted to have purchased the painting for the city's collection of LS Lowry works.

"We look forward to bringing it home to Salford, where it can continue to delight and attract visitors to the Andrew and Zoe Law galleries at The Lowry."