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The debate, held on Sunday 1 February at London’s South Bank Centre between art critic Brian Sewell and novelist and broadcaster Howard Jacobson, took many twists and turns, with Lowry's place in public affection in particular drawing interesting opinions out of the pair.

Going to Work, 1959 (c) LS Lowry

Sewell did admit that Lowry had been "a brilliant painter for [his first] 25 years", but took exception to the uncritical praise he received from both the public and fellow critics, urging people to "look again and see what’s there, don’t look again and see what you believe to be there."

That accusation of blind praise was strongly refuted by Jacobson, who argued that Lowry made us see the beauty of the city and called him "a great painter of nothingness as well as the somethingness of life."

The argument was then thrown open to the audience and it was from here that some lasting accord was brought to proceedings – coming from the unlikely source of Sir Ian McKellen.

"Once you've seen a crowd in a Lowry painting, you don’t see a crowd again in the same way. Lowry is a great painter as he makes you look again at the people and places around you."

It was such an insightful comment that it led the chair of the debate, The Lowry's Head of Galleries Michael Simpson, to conclude that Sir Ian had brought harmony to the debate.

In fact, so good was McKellen's comment that both Sewell and Jacobson admitted that they had learned something new from the fresh insight – which just goes to show you don't have to be a learned critic to make worthy opinions on art.

The debate formed part of The Lowry’s visual arts programme of reappraising Lowry as an artist and his contribution to twentieth century British art.