1 of 19
"Accelerateur Chromatique 90"
Claude Tousignant, "Accelerateur Chromatique 90," signed and dated 2/68 on the reverse, acrylic on canvas, 96 1/8 by 96 1/8 in. Sotheby's, Lot #22: Estimated at 50,000-70,000 CAD, Lot Sold for 129,000 CAD.
2 of 19
"Hurdy Gurdy"
Lawren Stewart Harris, "Hurdy Gurdy," oil on canvas circa 1913, 18 3/8 x 18 1/4 in 46.7 x 46.3 cm. Heffel, Lot #124: Sold For: $1,082,250.00 CDN, Estimate: $400,000 ~ $600,000 CDN.
3 of 19
"Unloading Supplies, Kiska"
Edward John (E.J.) Hughes, "Unloading Supplies, Kiska," 1943, graphite on card, 19 1/2 x 26 in 49.5 x 66 cm. Heffel, Lot # 002: Sold For: $43,875.00 CDN, Estimate: $25,000 ~ $35,000 CDN.
4 of 19
"Patrol on Kiska in 1943"
Edward John (E.J.) Hughes, "Patrol on Kiska in 1943," graphite on card, 19 7/8 x 23 1/4 in 50.5 x 59 cm. Heffel, Lot # 001: Sold For: $43,875.00 CDN, Estimate: $25,000 ~ $35,000 CDN.
5 of 19
"Radium Mine"
Alexander Young (A.Y.) Jackson, "Radium Mine," oil on canvas, 28 x 36 in 71.1 x 91.4 cm. Heffel, Lot #157: Sold For: $643,500.00 CDN, Estimate: $200,000 ~ $300,000 CDN.
6 of 19
"Montréal l'hiver"
Jean Paul Lemieux, "Montréal l'hiver," oil on canvas, 12 3/4 x 61 1/2 in 32.4 x 156.2 cm. Heffel, Lot # 023: Sold For: $280,800.00 CDN, Estimate: $250,000 ~ $350,000 CDN.
7 of 19
"Les enfants de la ville"
Jean Paul Lemieux, "Les enfants de la ville," oil on canvas, 26 x 44 in 66 x 111.7 cm. Heffel, Lot #040: Sold For: $497,250.00 CDN, Estimate: $200,000 ~ $300,000 CDN.
8 of 19
Walter Joseph (W.J.) Phillips, "Karlukwees, BC" (Siwash Winter Village) circa 1927
Walter Joseph (W.J.) Phillips ASA CPE CSPWC RCA 1884 - 1963 Canadian Karlukwees, BC (Siwash Winter Village) watercolour on paper circa 1927 14" x 11 7/8" Heffel Lot # 101 Sold For: $64,350.00 CDN Estimate: $20,000 ~ $30,000 CDN
9 of 19
"Study for Lake O'Hara and Cathedral Mountain, Rockies"
James Edward Hervey (J.E.H.) MacDonald, "Study for Lake O'Hara and Cathedral Mountain, Rockies," oil on board circa 1924 ~ 1927, 8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in 21.6 x 26.7 cm. Heffel. Lot #149: Sold For: $245,700.00 CDN, Estimate: $200,000 ~ $250,000 CDN.
10 of 19
"Chatterie"
Paul-Emile Borduas, "Chatterie," oil on canvas, signed and dated ‘57, inventory no.12F printed on a label on the reverse, 24"h x 20"w. Joyner, Lot #13: Est: $150000 / $200000, Price Realized $660800.
11 of 19
"Morning, Mountain Camp (Cathedral Peak from O'Hara Camp)"
James Edward Hervey (J.E.H.) MacDonald, "Morning, Mountain Camp (Cathedral Peak from O'Hara Camp)," oil on board circa 1924 ~ 1927, 8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in 21.6 x 26.7 cm. Heffel, Lot #150, Sold For: $280,800.00 CDN, Estimate: $200,000 ~ $250,000 CDN.
12 of 19
"Wintertime North of Winnipeg"
William Kurelek, "Wintertime North of Winnipeg," signed and dated 1962 on the reverse, mixed media on board, 103 by 143.5 cm. Sotheby's, Lot #10: Estimated at 50,000-70,000 CAD, Lot Sold at 255,500 CAD.
13 of 19
"Accelerateur Chromatique 90"
Claude Tousignant, "Accelerateur Chromatique 90," signed and dated 2/68 on the reverse, acrylic on canvas, 96 1/8 by 96 1/8 in. Sotheby's, Lot #22: Estimated at 50,000-70,000 CAD, Lot Sold for 129,000 CAD.
14 of 19
"Scene From Acton Island"
Frank (Franz) Hans Johnston, "Scene From Acton Island," signed and dated '26 lower left; inscribed For Architects Exhibit, Painted by Franz Johnston, ARCA OSA #474 Yonge St. on the reverse, oil on panel, 14 5/8 by 66 in. Sotheby's, Lot #70: Estimated at 40,000-60,000 CAD, Lot Sold for 129,000 CAD.
15 of 19
"Street in Barrie, Ont."
Lawren Stewart Harris, "Street in Barrie, Ont.," signed lower right; signed, titled and dated 1919-20 on the reverse, oil on canvas, 36 1/4 by 44 1/4 in. Sotheby's, Lot # 100: Estimated at 900,000-1,200,000 CAD.
16 of 19
"Winter Sunset, Algonquin Park"
Tom Thomson, "Winter Sunset, Algonquin Park," signed lower right; initialed J.J.V. on the reverse, oil on panel, 8 1/2 by 10 1/2 in. Sotheby's, Lot #104: Estimate 750,000-1,000,000 CAD.
17 of 19
"Approaching Storm"
Lawren Stewart Harris, "Approaching Storm," signed and dated '11 lower left, oil on canvas, 22" x 31". Sotheby's, Lot #105: 200,000-300,000 CAD, Lot Sold: 209,500 CAD.
18 of 19
"Halte des Hurons, Sur Un Ilot Du St. Laurent Pres Du Montreal, Canada"
James D. Duncan, "Halte des Hurons, Sur Un Ilot Du St. Laurent Pres Du Montreal, Canada," signed and inscribed Canada lower left, oil on canvas 13 1/8" x 18 1/8". Sotheby's Lot 168 Estimate 30,000-50,000 CAD.
19 of 19
"Promenade Sur Le St. Laurent, Canada"
James D. Duncan, "Promenade Sur Le St. Laurent, Canada," signed and inscribed Montreal lower left, oil on canvas, 13 1/8" x 19 7/8". Sotheby's, Lot #167: Estimate 30,000-50,000 CAD.
As we approached the fall auctions, I was predicting a soft market based somewhat on spring sale results. So I was surprised initially with Heffel’s results, then ecstatic, for a moment, with Joyner’s results, and shocked by Sotheby’s lack of results. It seems soft may not be the best description of what took place.
Heffel: Canadian Post War & Contemporary, Fine Canadian Art
The first sale opened well with Lots 1 and 2, E.J. Hughes, selling quickly to absentee bids, likely from a museum. These two drawings sold for $43,875 each, including commission. From there, things digressed somewhat, with only a few strong results. I was not overly enamored with the pieces offered. Highlights were works by Kurelek, Tanabe and Lemieux.
Once again, I was puzzled by Lemieux’s results. A large, wonderful Montreal street scene (23) did not break the low end of the estimate, yet the more pleasant and quiet Les Enfants … (40) sold well over the high estimate. It seems his real people garner attention, but a happier subject is the key to a big number.
Quebec abstraction suffered in this sale, with condition, quality and odd works all contributing to lower-than-expected results for the Contemporary sale. With abstract and contemporary works, it’s imperative they be visually attractive and in excellent condition as well as prime examples of the artist’s work.
At the Fine Canadian sale, I had concerns about the number of resale offerings and the lack of fine provenanced work. On one hand, I was right as some resale items were of little interest to buyers. But, to my surprise, some accelerated far beyond estimates.
Clearly, though, pictures with excellent provenance unseen in previous markets caused the most excitement. W.J. Phillips, the first lot, easily doubled its estimate. Lawren Harris (124) cruised over $1 million, and J.E.H. MacDonald (149, 150) set new highs with his Lake O’Hara sketches, each stretching above the high-end estimate. All these works had the appeal of being fresh to the market. A.Y. Jackson’s Radium Mine (157) did very well, finding a buyer at double the high estimate. This rhythmic, colourful work illustrated that quality of image, provenance and condition make for an excellent sale.
Overall, the Fine Canadian portion drove the Heffel sale over the $11-million mark, somewhat taking care of my view that the market was soft. There is no doubt, though, that fewer works with clear provenance are coming out and higher overall sales figures are not guaranteed.
Joyner: Canadian Fine Art (at Waddingtons)
This sale had one star that caught my eye – the Paul-Emile Borduas (130) on the catalogue cover and promoted online and in auction advertisements. At the preview, the piece had great presence. The original frame from the Blair Laing Gallery was still intact, its condition was nearly perfect and it had a provenance clear of previous sales. The painting proved to be the star I thought it would be. Bids from the audience were knocked out at about $450,000, but three phone bids battled on, reaching $660,800. Not only the highlight of the sale, it was also the highlight of the sale season.
Joyner has one of the best auctioneers in the Canadian art business, Robert Cowley, and he needed every bit of his ability to soldier through an up-and-down sale. The ending left about 70 works unsold on the floor and positive results for the remaining 130. The fact that those works were sold, and the secondary market for medium quality is relatively stable, is an accomplishment. Overall, the total for Joyner was well over $2.5 million.
Sotheby’s: Important Canadian Art
Being the final auction of the season is not always an enviable position. The reasons are possible buyer fatigue, the amount spent at other sales and, finally, the overall impression of what happened at those sales. In general, the view from the floor amongst dealers and serious buyers was that Heffel’s results were a surprise, Joyner escaped and Sotheby’s was going to find trouble due to overly high estimates on second-rate works. This latter prediction proved accurate.
Two historical works, Lawren Harris (100) and Tom Thomson (104), both with sit-up-and-beg estimates, were the prime features. The Thomson, a quiet picture of a supposed sunset, lacked energetic colour and the bid, hardly opened at $750,000 and closed quickly. The Harris, although colourful, was large, overly pretty and somehow stiff, in my opinion. The bidding opened and closed so quickly, I didn’t get a note down in my book. The provenances on both, bought previously at auction, were well known. In the end, sadly, they were not great pictures. Neither piece sold, or as some in the dealer world say, they crashed and burned – burned being the significant issue, as the pieces are now known to all through their catalogue and online presence. For a sale to have so many passes, right from the opening pages through to the major flag flyers, is, obviously, not positive. This is the second sale by Sotheby’s to make these apparent errors of judgment. I find it a bit sad, overall, that this contender in Canadian art auctions is stumbling.
That said though, some stellar works made the grade, as they should. Kurelek was once again the saviour, odd when you consider who he was as an artist and his often-contentious ideas. His Wintertime North of Winnipeg (10) sold for $250,000. A stark and cold painting that depicts an isolated figure on a winter walk, it trundled to a great result.
Certainly, a big surprise for me was Claude Tousignant’s wonderful Accélérateur Chromatique 90 (22), which achieved a sale result of $129,000. The painting was stunning at the preview and to have this large and perfect example of his work sell is a strong positive for contemporary sales. One important thing to note in Sotheby’s favour is that it presents the best preview of all the auction houses, offering a true gallery experience.
The sale, for sure, had a few hidden gems, including a piece by Franz Johnston (70), possibly decorative but nevertheless fascinating. A Lawren Harris (105) was subtle, mysterious and beautiful. Two early historical works by James Duncan (167, 168) that had been recovered from France also caught my attention. Sadly, Duncan’s two incredible pieces from the mid-1800s failed on the auction block, casualties of the passed-lot syndrome prominent throughout the sale. I counted at least 60 unsold pieces, a tally equaled in the spring sale. Obviously, it’s not a good signal to buyers or consignors. Overall, the Sotheby’s sale did add close to $6 million to the season’s total, and, once again, the auction house was able to sell many secondary-market lots. This, in my view, is important, as the auctions do manage to find homes for a lot of art that galleries, private dealers and others in the market could not sell.
No doubt, it was not a stellar season, but in the world we see now, Canadian collectors do manage to support some important work, both historical and contemporary, that’s appearing in auction markets. Although we may not see the incredible sums generated by New York auctions, in many cases, I feel our market, although undervalued on occasion, is honest and healthy for strong and important work that represents Canadian art’s wonderful past and present history.
Ed Note: Images of all paintings mentioned in this article may be viewed in the accompanying slideshow.