THREE paintings by LS Lowry have been secured for the North-East public thanks to a £175,000 National Lottery grant.

The works, which are on show at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, were painted during the 1960s.

They illustrate a different aspect of Lowry's work during a time when Sunderland and the North-East became his second home.

Dockside, The Sea at Sunderland and Self-Portrait could have been sold at auction and taken out of the country.

But the paintings are considered to be of such national importance that the Treasury allowed a private treaty sale to stop them from being sold to private buyers.

The former owner will bequeath another important work, Self-Portrait II.

The purchase was also made possible by a £15,000 grant from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and the Victoria and Albert Museum, £7,000 from Sunderland Museums Acquisitions Fund and £3,000 from the Friends of Sunderland Museums.

Keith Bartlett, of the National Lottery, said: "The purchase of these historic paintings, depicting Sunderland in the 1960s, will ensure that the people of Sunderland and visitors to the city will be able to enjoy and learn about their heritage for generations."

The works will be displayed alongside Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens' permanent Lowry exhibition.

Published: 07/10/2004