L. S. Lowry

Laurence Stephen Lowry was born on November 1, 1887, in Stretford, Lancashire. Working full-time as a rent collector for the Pall Mall Property Company in Manchester for 42 years until his retirement in 1952, Lowry painted privately at night, dedicating himself to the soot-stained landscapes of Salford and Manchester.

Using a disciplined palette of just five basic colors (flake white, ivory black, vermilion, Prussian blue, and yellow ochre), Lowry captured the grim beauty of towering textile mills, smoggy skies, and swarming working-class crowds moving through streets, football matches, and fairgrounds.

Initially dismissed as an eccentric primitive painter, Lowry was elected a Royal Academician in 1962 and achieved immense national and international acclaim. He famously holds the British record for declining the most state honors, rejecting five knighthoods and appointments to preserve his artistic independence.