A forgotten painting of the former Merthyr synagogue by renowned artist LS Lowry has fetched almost £300,000 at auction. The artwork titled Old Church, Merthyr Tydfil dates back to 1960 and was last seen in 1965 at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London, according to local historian Christopher Clifford.
Christopher said he first became aware of the piece a few years ago while researching for his book on the former synagogue. He said: "I previously had no idea Lowry even stepped foot in Merthyr Tydfil. Paintings usually stay in private collections, so I never thought I would ever see it. The family that has owned it for the last 57 years has passed it down through the generations. The painting has never been exhibited since it was shown to the public in late 1965."
Christopher said he believed Lowry would have stood on High Street, then taken a rough sketch of the former synagogue before painting it back at his workshop. He said it's possible Lowry didn't realise the magnificent building was that of a synagogue at the time he created the piece.
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"An art critic looking at this painting has got to ask, why did he call it, 'Old Church, Merthyr Tydfil'? I think it's just quite innocent," Christopher said. "I think he just pitched up in Merthyr - we know he spent time in south Wales in the early 1960s - and he possibly stood on Merthyr Tydfil High Street, as you can do now.
"If you stand on the corner where St David's church is, there's a street sign there that says Church Street. I think he stood at the bottom of Church Street, he looked up at this amazing building at the top of the hill - which is one of the most prominent landmarks in the town - and he thought, 'Wow, what an amazing building'. Presumably then he did sketches and then went back to his studio to paint the painting."
The 24 by 20 inch oil painting was estimated to sell for between £120,000 and £180,000 when it went to auction at Christie's on Wednesday, March 23. However, it fetched an impressive £277,200.
The Grade II listed former synagogue located on Bryntirion Road was built in 1877. It is currently being preserved by the Foundation for Jewish Heritage after it was identified as being among the most important 16 synagogues at risk in Europe. The foundation aims to turn the building into a Welsh Jewish heritage centre. To get the latest news from Merthyr Tydfil straight into your inbox, click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
