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| Council Lowry auctioned for £1.4m | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A painting by LS Lowry which was auctioned by a council to help balance its books has sold for more than £1.4m. | |
| A Riverbank, owned by Bury Council in Greater Manchester, went under the hammer at Christie's on Friday. | |
| The work - depicting the River Irwell - was bought by the authority in 1951 for £175, was expected to fetch between £500,000 and £800,000. | |
| The decision to sell the painting has sparked claims the council is "selling off the family silver". | The decision to sell the painting has sparked claims the council is "selling off the family silver". |
| A spokeswoman for Christie's said the buyer's price was £1,408,000 at auction on Friday, which includes commission. | |
| Matchstick men | Matchstick men |
| The Museums Association has described the sale as "deeply irresponsible" and said the council faces expulsion from the Museums Association. | The Museums Association has described the sale as "deeply irresponsible" and said the council faces expulsion from the Museums Association. |
| But the authority is facing an estimated £10m budget shortfall and said the sale was essential to fund its core services. | But the authority is facing an estimated £10m budget shortfall and said the sale was essential to fund its core services. |
| The authority, which displayed the painting at Bury Museum and Art Gallery, said it was putting its people before a picture. | The authority, which displayed the painting at Bury Museum and Art Gallery, said it was putting its people before a picture. |
| Christie's sold the painting as part of a sale of 20th Century British art. It will sit along other Lowry works including The Empty House and The Local Store. | |
| LS Lowry is most famous for his matchstick men and industrial landscapes, based largely on Manchester and Salford. | LS Lowry is most famous for his matchstick men and industrial landscapes, based largely on Manchester and Salford. |
| His painting of Liverpool's famous Liver Building waterfront was sold for more than £1m at auction in June. | His painting of Liverpool's famous Liver Building waterfront was sold for more than £1m at auction in June. |