School treated to art from famous painters

Photo: Anthony Miller

Former Hulme Grammar School pupil Graham Hobbs revisits the school to give an art lecture to current pupils.

HULME Grammar School was turned into an art galley for a day when a former pupil brought along a selection of original paintings worth hundreds of thousands by famous artists including LS Lowry.

The oils The Lady Standing and Three Children valued at up to £200,000 each by the Salford artist were among 22 works by northern artists exhibited by Graham Hobbs who gave a talk to Year 8 pupils.

They also included two Lowry pencil drawings, paintings by his teacher, Adolphe Valette, and works by Oldham artists Helen Bradbury and John Thompson. Other artists on show were Reg Gardner who painted many scenes of Oldham, landscape painter Peter Brook, and Edith Le Breton, Braaq, Stephen Campbell and Phil George.

Mr Hobbs, an art collector, was loaned the paintings by Cheshire gallery Clark Art Ltd.

He talked to pupils about the influence of French impressionists such as Valette, who taught at Manchester Art School, on the Northern School of artists.

“He taught Lowry the basics of still life drawing,” said Mr Hobbs.

“Lowry was put down as being an amateur painter, but he was taught for many years.”

Mr Hobbs said that he hoped to generate an enthusiasm for the artists in the pupils, adding: “Each of these painters are individual in their own way or they wouldn’t have made it.

“You can buy a £20 painting that’s mass produced but these painters have created something unique.”

Head of art Jo Graystock said: “It is amazing and such a privilege for the pupils to have these paintings here. It is really kind of Graham to let them see them first-hand.”