AUCTIONS: Spring 2017 a Roller-Coaster Ride

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Taking in the auctions was easier this spring, as the Heffel live sales have moved from Vancouver to Toronto. Although Heffel held previews in Vancouver and Montreal, the Design Exchange in Toronto has become the new live auction home. It is a fabulous space and, as I always say, seeing auction previews “live” is worthwhile. The sale season proved to be a bit of a roller-coaster ride, though, for all three Toronto sales. It’s difficult to pinpoint all the reasons, but my simple answer is we are seeing a changing demographic, younger buyers with different tastes and motivations. Follow the ups and downs and twists along with me.

Heffel, Toronto

There’s nothing like opening a sale with fireworks, and the first piece I watched carefully was Joyce Wieland’s The Battery (1963). At the time, Wieland was with her then-husband, Michael Snow, in New York City. This beautiful small painting showed the excitement of the times. It sold for $55,250 (all sales figures include commission), well above the estimate. It was an outstanding painting at great value.

Takao Tanabe continues to hit highs with his incredible work. Q.C. Is. 6/95, Marble Island, was a perfect example of his West Coast ocean works. Huge and detailed, it sold for $145,250. The incredible part of Tanabe’s story is that at 90, he just opened one of the best exhibitions I have seen by him at the Mira Godard Gallery. Buying his paintings at retail values is not a bad plan.

The next surprise was Jack Bush, he of many colours and styles. Green Sleeves (1976) and Two Road Marks (1970) sold for a combined, $1,082,500. Honestly, it’s a bit astounding as the works were generally average. I’m not sure why these two were so desirable.

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Jack Bush, "Green Sleeves," 1976

Jack Bush, "Green Sleeves," 1976

acrylic on canvas, 53" x 56.75" ($481,250 - May 2017 at Heffel)

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Jack Bush, "Two Road Marks," 1970

Jack Bush, "Two Road Marks," 1970

acrylic on canvas, 59.5" x 37.75 ($601,250 - May 2017 at Heffel)

The roller-coaster ride continued with the sale of Jean Paul Riopelle’s Vent du nord (1952-53), large and dense with thick color as in his 1950’s Paris-based works. This sold with energy generated from the phones banks, opening at $1 million. One phone bid upped it to $3 million and it finished at $7.4 million, a record for the artist.

Another of my favourite Quebec painters is Charles Gagnon. Burst (1961) is indeed a treasure. Gagnon never ceases to challenge the eye, and this was a prefect example, selling for $49,250, well beyond the estimate. For a work on paper, it was an exciting result.

The next painting, William Ronald’s My Garden (1953) was a brilliant example of pure Modernism. How he envisioned his garden in this way in the early years of Painters Eleven is a wonderful question we can only ponder. It was a favourite of mine and obviously of others as it sold at $97,250.

Appropriate for the coming season, Summer (1972) by Gershon Iskowitz was indeed a large and joyous seasonal celebration. Iskowitz, at his best, created fields of colour, and overlapped suspended fields of colour. This was a perfect example. It sold for $157,250, a splendid result.

Lawren Harris was represented in the contemporary sale with the studio title of LSH 89B, a lively abstract. Some thought it was a sailing boat on a large sea with sky formations overhead. It sold for a solid $451,250. We have seen few abstracts by Harris in recent auctions, so this was a pleasant surprise.

One new initiative by Heffel is to bring works by international artists into sales. An example was A.R. Penck, a German, who died recently. His Ende im Osten (1978) attracted Canadian bidders on the floor and sold at $265,250, well above the estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. Part of the sale’s roller-coaster ride was due to new markets and new collectors, which proved successful.

The preview for Heffel’s Fine Canadian Art was presented well, with fine examples of work, but the overall excitement level during this second sale was quiet. There were some fine results, for sure, but it was like the energy had already been spent.

Lawren Harris achieved the big number of the night for Lynx Mountain, at more than $1.2 million. But paintings with good value were left behind, to my surprise. I was left wondering where buyers of the past were and who these new collectors buying contemporary art were. 

Consignor Canadian Fine Art, Toronto

Of particular note, Consignor moved its live sale to the Gardiner Museum, which proved successful as the room had prestige and was packed. With Robert Cowley at the podium selling at a rapid pace, there seemed to be good momentum. He managed to sell Northern Painting (1960) by Maxwell Bates for $9,200. This work is one of Bates’ abstract “pour” paintings; a somewhat overlooked and obscure part of a long career.

Lawren Harris’ Snow-Covered Trees (1929), a small gouache painting on paper, was dated by A.J. Casson on the verso. In my view, the painting related more to his work of 1914, which is sometimes described as his “decorative” period. Energetic bidding ensued and it sold for $50,600.

Often Consignor finds some surprises. Jacques De Tonnacour’s Sorbet aux douze oranges (1969) was certainly one. I have always appreciated his work; he is one of a kind. Someone got a buy at $18,400.

The sale featured a good cross section of historical works, including the best Franklin Carmichael of all the sales, although it failed to find a buyer. Again, the twists and turns were apparent in the lack of interest in some well-known paintings.

A.Y. Jackson’s Road over Cap Tourmente, a pen and ink drawing, and Gulf of St. Lawrence, in ink and watercolour, were small works on paper used as illustrations in the 1942 book, The St. Lawrence, part of the Rivers of America series. It’s rare to see such a wonderful pair, and rare to see such a perfect watercolour by Jackson. They sold for a combined value of $18,400.

The sale sped along, with reasonable results, but the room gasped at Three Black Cats by Maud Lewis. One phone bid jumped the floor to $20,000, and by the time it was sold, a new record of $36,800 was at hand. Someone who knows her work well said “everything was right” for, sadly, things can be wrong for her work. A price like this would surely be astounding for an artist who sold her paintings for a few dollars and lived a meager life. Two other paintings from the same collection sold well, but at more level values.

After that, the room settled back down. One of my favourite paintings in all the sales was R.S. Hewton’s Portrait of Thomas Archer, Esq., circa 1920s/1930s. Hewton was an integral member of the Beaver Hall Group in Montreal. I saw the Beaver Hall exhibition organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts at the Glenbow Museum three times and never tired of the brilliance. Hewton’s piece sold for $14,950, a decent price for a museum-quality painting.

Another woman painter from a similar period was Yvonne McKague Housser. Her Harvest Time is a beautiful small oil with a brilliant palette and structure. It caught a few eyes, as it sold above estimate at $11,500. Consignor is worth investigating for works that are not always mainstream yet good quality.

Waddington’s, Toronto

Linda Rodeck and her small staff search out works from new sources. In general, that means works from private collectors or corporate collections downsizing or needing to sell. Consequently, the mix of art is less predictable, but often refreshing.

One such piece was Clark McDougall’s Talbot Street (circa 1950). McDougall is not well known across the country, but he was an inventive painter whose use of outlining and punchy colour distinguishes his work. This was a real beauty and sold well over estimate at $19,200.

Also of note was a special small painting by Jean McEwen, Composition (1962). The size made it desirable as did the subject, a thick red surface on a black ground. This gemlike work sold well for $66,000, double the top estimate.

Throughout the sale, works by A.J. Casson generally did well. One small oil sketch, Lake of Two Rivers (1947) stood out. This is the period when Casson came alive with more abstraction, moving forms and excellent design. The piece sold for $50,400, well over the high estimate.

Rodeck often includes fine abstract painters in her sale, and a number were worth noting, including Otto Rogers, William Perehudoff, Jack Shadbolt, Gordon Rayner, K.M. Graham and Harold Klunder.

Overall, the sales were fine, but the large cohort of younger collectors should be buying established artists. The buying audience needs more education to succeed, especially when paintings fall below retail values. An educated collector chased down and bought Iskowitz’s Night Reds-A (1981). Although large, this one is perfect, and at $52,800 it was a good buy, especially compared to the Iskowitz at Heffel that sold for $157,000. Certainly, they were from different periods, but Iskowitz painted well throughout his career. It’s just a case of finding the "snappers," which this one was. Everything came together for the artist.

This sale also had some one-of-a-kind historical works, which Rodeck likes to search out. They included rare pieces by William Armstrong (1822-1914) and Frederick Verner (1836-1928) as well as a beautiful sculpture by Louis P. Hébert (1850-1917).

One last piece that caught my eye, mostly for its pure modernist style, was a sculpture by Jack Beder, Tree Image, Sculpture #43 (1966). Intuitive and inventive, it reflected that era of design perfectly. It sold to active bidding at $9,600, a record for the artist. Beder was from Montreal and well established within the community, though not part of the Montreal hierarchy. He independently produced solid paintings, sculptures and drawings throughout his life. In the 1960s, he did his first tour to Jasper Park and produced fine mountain paintings. It’s worth watching for them, as they appear occasionally in the West.

Overall, the results for Waddington’s were good. But the sale also showed the season’s unpredictability. The positive to all this is that, if researched, seen and liked, good buys are still possible.

The auction season ended with a live sale in Calgary by Hodgins. I was happy to see a smaller concise sale. I was in Toronto, and examined results and works from the catalogue. From what I gather, the sale went well. Results were positive, and I liked some works. The catalogue is still available on the website, with prices realized.

Finally, as many readers may know, online, “after” sales are now the norm. In some cases, the results are worthy of note. Heffel did well with the online sale that closed directly after the live sale. A great example was David Milne’s White Trees, Boston Corners, New York (1916). The watercolour had multiple bids and finally sold at $103,250, no doubt aided by anticipation for the Milne exhibition planned next year by the Dulwich gallery in Britain.

It takes time to do adequate research for online bidding and, if possible, a live preview is a good plan. But if that’s not possible, ask questions, and get the answers you need to make a decision.

Hope you enjoyed the view from my seat. Have a great summer and watch for the fall report.

Images: Courtesy of Heffel, Consignor and Waddington's.