A local art gallery in Stoke-on-Trent is calling on the public to help locate lost artworks by Arthur Berry, a renowned artist, playwright, and poet who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year. Berry, who was born in 1925 and passed away in 1994, earned the nickname "the Lowry of the Potteries" for his vivid depictions of working-class life in north Staffordshire.
The search comes after the discovery that many of Berry's pieces remain undocumented and their whereabouts unknown. Barewall Art Gallery is now urging anyone who owns one of his artworks to come forward so the pieces can be properly catalogued and included in a digital gallery archive, ensuring his artistic legacy is preserved for future generations.
"The discovery of any lost artworks would be hugely significant," explained Amanda Bromley, director of Barewall Art Gallery. "Having grown up alongside Stoke-on-Trent, Berry's work across painting, poetry, plays and beyond has traced the changing face of the city across a century of its life. His art stands as a vital chronicle of working-class experience, and uncovering further pieces will broaden our insight into his practice and strengthen his legacy."
The museum is particularly interested in works that were sold or gifted before 2012, with special focus on pieces created prior to 1985. During October, owners can bring their Berry artworks to the museum, where they will be carefully unframed, photographed, and reframed. Each owner will receive a certificate of authentication for their piece.
The scope of missing works became apparent when researchers examined Berry's exhibition history. When the city's Potteries Museum and Art Gallery held a major retrospective of Berry's work in 1984, the exhibition featured 113 pieces, but the current location of only a small number of those artworks is known today.
Adding to the mystery, slides discovered in Berry's studio after his death in 1994 suggest that even more artworks exist but have yet to be located. Among the specific missing pieces are "Asbestos Garage," the still life "Apples and Mugs," and "The Lovers."
This search effort is part of Arthur Berry 100, an ambitious year-long program celebrating the artist's centenary. The program includes exhibitions, performances, workshops, films, and other events, delivered through partnerships with organizations including the New Vic Theatre and Staffordshire Film Archive.
Museum officials emphasized that any rediscovered works would significantly contribute to the collective understanding of Berry's extraordinary impact on 20th-century art and culture. The initiative represents not just a search for missing art, but an effort to fully document and preserve the legacy of an artist who captured the essence of industrial England through his unique perspective and talent.
