Bookmaker is odds-on to make £5m on Lowry sale

A private collection of Lowry artworks is expected to raise more than £5m in a sale this autumn.

The works, owned by bookmaking tycoon Selwyn Demmy, include landscapes and seascapes as well as LS Lowry's renowned industrial city depictions, spanning a 40-year period from the 1920s to the 1960s.

"I was born around the corner from LS Lowry, in Cheetham Hill, and am a Salford man born and bred," he said.

"For me, the works of Lowry have a powerful resonance as they capture the heart and soul of the people and landscape which I have loved and lived in all my life.

"This collection of 21 paintings and drawings has brought me huge pleasure over the years."

Mr Demmy's collection began with two pencil drawings; the early House on Botany, Clifton, 1926, estimated at £15,000 to £20,000, and the landscape Parton, Cumberland, 1956, expected to raise £15,000 to £20,000.

One of the stars of the sale – the 1945 panoramic canvas titled The Playground, is expected to raise £500,000 to £700,000. The Steps, Irk Place, 1928 – set to fetch £400,000 to £600,000 – is another highlight.

Christie's sale of Lowry works will take place in London on Thursday, 11 November.