FourFourTwo is a work of art! Mag cover hangs in gallery next to iconic Lowry painting

FourFourTwo has been the leading football magazine for almost three decades but now we can add ‘work of art’ to our list of achievements. 

Speak to anyone who currently works on the title or has worked on it and they will tell you that they have always considered it so, but it’s official now because one of our covers is hanging in The Lowry in Salford alongside the famous Going to the Match painting

The iconic LS Lowry painting shows fans arriving for a Bolton Wanderers game at their former home of Burnden Park. 

Following 16 months of Covid lockdown and football being played behind closed doors, FFT decided to do a modern interpretation of the painting for our Season Preview issue of the magazine.

Given the Euros had just taken place that summer, we opted to use Wembley and its iconic arch rather than Burnden Park and we commissioned Japanese illustrator Yo Hosoyamada design her version for our cover.

We called our version ‘Going Back to the Match’ and went for a brighter orange background to reflect the brighter times of fans being able to return to grounds up and down the country.

Alongside our version in the gallery are these words taken from the Editor’s Letter from that issue - which we believe summed up the feeling at the time and what we tried to incorporate in our version of the picture.

“From ground to ground, some things just don't change: the smell of overcooked onions; the sense of hope as you squeeze through a turnstile; the knowing nod to the person you've sat near for years but still don't know their name; the anticipation that something great may happen for your club this season (but inevitably doesn't). All of that and more is returning, and we should celebrate it.”

The reason that this FourFourTwo cover has been chosen to hang beside the original is because it has been rehung and has gone back on display to the public after being sold at auction.

This hugely important and much-loved work of art has been on public display in The Lowry’s galleries since it opened in 2000, on loan from the Professional Footballers’ Association.

Following their decision to sell Going to the Match, there were no guarantees that any future owners would share the commitment to keeping the work on public view and free to access.

However, The Lowry’s successful bid of £8.1million at Christie’s means the artwork has been secured for the city of Salford’s LS Lowry collection, and it has now been rehung at The Lowry, where it is free to view.

Julia Fawcett, CEO of The Lowry, said: “We passionately believed Going to the Match needed to remain on public view. Its safe return to our Galleries, thanks to the wonderfully generous gift from The Law Family Charitable Foundation, is a huge moment for Salford, and we are so happy to bring it home.

“We know visitors will be coming in large numbers in the coming months to view this iconic and much-loved work of art, and we can’t wait to welcome them. Again, I’d like to thank everyone who has helped achieve this fantastic outcome.”

The painting will remain on show for free in Salford for the next few months before it is taken to other local areas - including Bolton - in the next year.