LONDON - L.S. Lowry's "Going To The Match", one of the most iconic paintings of 20th-century British art, sold at auction for a record-breaking £7.85-million.
The 1953 artwork features Lowry's emblematic stick figures set in an industrial landscape of northwest England -- in this case, a crowd of people heading to a football match in Bolton.
The sale by Christie's in London broke the record for a work by Lowry, who died in 1976.
Without fees, the price came to £6.6 million for its seller, the charitable foundation of the Professional Footballers' Association.
It was bought by The Lowry arts centre in Manchester, ensuring the painting will remain in Britain and accessible to the public.
The Lowry had said it was unable to bid, but that changed after an "incredibly generous gift" from a philanthropic foundation, according to the centre's chief executive Julia Fawcett.
"We firmly believe that this iconic artwork must remain on public view so it can continue to be seen by the broadest possible audiences for free," she said in a statement.