Sean Durkin

Artist Sean Durkin was born in 1963 in North Yorkshire. Durkin's inspiration to emulate the great L S Lowry was sparked in unusual circumstances. His father infamously stole one of the Lowry's artworks in 1972 depicting St Hilda’s Church and the old Town Hall from a public art gallery. When he was arrested by police after the theft, he had a ransom letter with three demands. The first demand was that the gallery should have a better alarm system fitted and secondly, the gallery should be opened on Sundays. His third and final demand was for the mayor to auction off a pair of his underpants for charity!

Each Durkin picture has an array of whimsical characters and references including a matchstick illustration of a policeman and a robber as a cheeky nod to his father’s exploits.