Warrington’s “Secret Lowry” – as remembered by his nephew

IT is now more than six years since the death of Warrington’s “Secret Lowry” Eric Tucker, but a new book by his nephew, Joe, brings the story back to life in an uplifting way – full of humour but also pathos.

Joe, a television scriptwriter, has put together a wonderful tribute to his uncle, an ordinary working-class man who, by normal standards was a complete failure in life, but in fact was an artist of great talent who produced around 500 paintings which he kept hidden in his council-house home in King George Crescent.
For some 60 years he turned out paintings depicting life as he saw it in Warrington – occasionally venturing into Manchester as well. His keen eye produced work that has been compared to LS Lowry yet, which despite the similarity, was very much his own.
When his work came to light, shortly before his death in 2018, it was reported widely – by Warrington-Worldwide and the national press. But the new book “The Secret Painter”, written as it is by his nephew and drawing on the memories of Eric’s brother and other members of the family, fills in the gaps in a fascinating way.
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It reveals so much about the real Eric who was clearly much more than the dishevelled character who would sit in a pub with a pint in one hand and a sketchpad in the other, depicting everyday life in his home town.
Since his death those paintings have been lauded, not only for their quality but also as an important record of workihng class life at the time. They have been exhibited not just in Warrington but also in London, drawing praise from art critics far and wide. They have given Eric a recognition he never got, nor sought, in his life time.
“The Secret Painter” by Joe Tucker (Canongate.co.uk) is due to be published on January 30. Whether you remember the story of Warrington’s “secret Lowry” from when it was first told in 2018 or whether it is new to you, it is certainly worth waiting for.