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An oil painting depicting heavy industrial machinery at work. The painting is in a brown wooden frame. An oil painting depicting heavy industrial machinery at work. The painting is in a brown wooden frame.

Kenneth Steel, Davy United, Blooming and Slabbing Mill (1953).

Kenneth Steel, Davy United, Blooming and Slabbing Mill (1953).

Thanks to the huge generosity of our Friends this appeal has reached it's target 

 

Davy United, Blooming and Slabbing Mill (1953) is by much-loved Sheffield artist, Kenneth Steel and has been gifted to the Trust by Mr Brown who bought it in the 1990s. We now need your help to give it a new lease of life.

 

The painting straddles Sheffield’s collections – evoking the city’s industrial and social history. It was one of several commissions for the manufacturer Davy United at the company’s Darnall works. 

Kenneth Steel’s oil painting flourished after the Second World War and he was commissioned by several companies, such as Davy United. His work forms a record of the city’s reconstruction.

Steel was born in Sheffield in 1906 and here for his whole life, giving us a unique picture of the city in the  early and mid-20th century. Some of you will remember the recent Kenneth Steel exhibition at Weston Park Museum in 2022, which had a great response from visitors.

Sadly, this painting has water damage, patches of fine cracks and requires cleaning by a specialist conservator which will cost around £2,500.

Thanks to our wonderful Friends and a contribution from Mr Brown, this work will now receive the care it needs. A huge thank you to everyone who donated!