York was urged today to launch a race against time to bring an L S Lowry painting home to the city.

The 1953 view of York, a typical Lowry industrial scene complete with his famous "matchstick" figures, is expected to fetch up to £80,000 at auction later this month.

The City Art Gallery, which could once have bought the painting for only £50, would like to reunite it with another by Lowry, of Clifford's Tower, which currently hangs in the gallery.

In the present climate of cuts, the City of York would be unable to bid for it out of its own budget.

But York Civic Trust chairman, John Shannon, called today for a concerted effort to find grants from other bodies to help meet the costs - and pledged a contribution from the trust to any rescue fund.

"I certainly think it ought to come back to York if at all possible. Lowry had rightly obtained a reputation making him a national figure."

He suggested lottery money could be found from the Heritage Lottery Fund with a fast-track funding application.

But the fund said today that it normally imposed a minimum of six weeks even for fast-track applications, although exceptions could be made in rare cases.

Gallery curator, Richard Green, said today he was exploring the possibility of part-funding from a variety of bodies, such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, but it was not yet clear if this would be feasible within the short time-scale.

"Ideally, it would be in our collection because we know that Lowry and York is a winning combination," he said.

"We chose the one we liked best and I think we made the right choice because it is very popular. But it would be nice to reunite the two again."

The painting depicts children in a playground and people by the railway line in a landscape of smoking industrial chimneys, terraced houses and site works.

The City of York commissioned Lowry (1887-1976), one of the most important and easily recognisable 20th century artists from the North, to paint a view of the city in 1953.

Lowry produced two paintings. The City of York chose one of them, of Clifford's Tower, paid him £50, and hung it in the City Art Gallery, where today it is one of the most popular items on display.

The other was bought by a York solicitor, who died in 1987.

Now, it has suddenly resurfaced at Bonhams of London, where it will be auctioned on March 25.

See COMMENT This painting belongs to York

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