A NEW exhibition of L S Lowry's work at The Lowry, Salford Quays -- L S Lowry: Conversation Pieces has been selected by Andras Kalman, the Hungarian pioneer who opened Manchester's first commercial modern art gallery and went on to become the painter's firm friend and main art dealer in the North.

In the exhibition, which runs from today to October 5, Kalman's stories accompany the work, shedding light on a fascinating relationship between two unlikely friends.

The exhibition features two paintings never seen before in public : A Seat in the Park (1952) and A Town Square (1953).

The show also includes The Clown, a picture Lowry gave as a wedding gift to Kalman and his Lancashire-born wife Dorothy.

In 1949 Kalman opened his Crane Gallery in a former air raid shelter on South King Street, Manchester.

He became firm friends with Lowry after the artist came in and bought a small painting for £16.

Kalman persuaded Michael Redgrave, Mai Zetterling, Charles Laughton and Richard Attenborough to open his exhibitions.

In 1957, hoping for greater things in the capital, he opened the Crane Kalman Gallery in London, which still operates today.

One of the forces which drove him to London was the Mancunian scepticism towards L S Lowry. Says Kalman: "When he was starting out, Lowry was a laughing stock in Manchester. They said he couldn't draw, his people were dirty, and that he painted scenery people would drive six miles out of their way to avoid."

The two men's relationship blossomed and lasted for over 25 years, until Lowry's death in 1976.

Kalman's verdict on Lowry's place in the art canon is as follows: "He's uniquely English. In 20th century painting, there's really nobody like him. That uniqueness is a source of pride to people who own a Lowry."

The exhibition is in conjunction with a new large-format book Conversation Pieces (Caxton Press, price £25.00). It includes reproductions of 80 of Lowry's most poignant works. It also features recollections and commentaries of Kalman.