Western Canada's art magazine since 2002
10 August 2021 Vol 6 No 16 ISSN 2561-3316 © 2021
Portia Priegert
From the Editor
Who isn’t fascinated by art auctions? The reasons can be varied: the million-dollar sales, the drama of cut-and-thrust bidding or the chance to see works by favourite artists that have sat for years in private collections. Not to mention vicariously enjoying the fantasy of finding a thrift-shop painting that fetches real money at auction. It does happen, although not as often as many of us would wish.
The auction scene is changing, however. Not only are prices for top Canadian works soaring, but thanks to technological advances, online bidding has become commonplace. So much so that when the pandemic hit, it became a thing to hold “live” auctions without any bidders in the room.
This issue’s feature story Going, Going, Gone West focuses on the growth of the art auction scene in Western Canada over the last half century. Counting out at some 5,000 words, it's the longest piece Galleries West has ever published.
The Canadian secondary art market's westward tilt is mainly due to Vancouver-based Heffel, now deemed by many to be the country’s leading art auction house. Heffel has racked up astonishing multi-million dollar sales, including the most expensive Canadian painting ever sold at auction, Mountain Forms, by Lawren Harris. It fetched a cool $11.2 million – including the buyer's premium, the fee auction houses charge for their services – in 2016.
Edmonton writer Curtis Gillespie, the winner of seven National Magazine Awards, begins his story at Heffel’s last auction in June by looking at the stars of that sale, two paintings by Emily Carr that sold for a total of more than $5.4 million, including the buyer's premium. He also checks in with auctioneers and dealers in Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto to round out his account.
To our knowledge, it’s the first time anyone has written about this history in a comprehensive way. But the story also looks to the future. As Lydia Abbott, a partner in Toronto-based auction house Cowley-Abbott, observes: “It’s hard to know where it’s all going, because five years ago we wouldn’t have known we’d be here. Technology is changing all the time … there are lots of curve balls coming.”
Please take a moment to let us know what you think of this piece, which has already been shared more than 350 times. Whether you hit the like button or, even better, leave a comment, your feedback will help us assess if the appetite for long-form arts journalism is strong enough to pursue in-depth features on other topics. We also appreciate suggestions on subjects you'd like us to explore.
This rest of this issue of Galleries West is rich in stories about artists from diverse backgrounds – whether British Columbia's Takao Tanabe and Jan Wade, a Calgary exhibition that explores painting and diaspora or a Winnipeg show, Artivism, about international artists who are also activists. We round things out with a story about an emerging artist duo in Calgary, the playfully named Nasarimba.
Looking ahead during these dog days of summer, our team is polishing up a story about interesting rural galleries across Western Canada. We're also dropping into Yellowknife for a commentary by Sarah Swan about the need for a public art gallery in the Northwest Territories.
Whether you're taking road trips or staycations, I hope you all find ways to enjoy the summer.
Until next time,
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Curtis Gillespie, Lindsay Inglis, Yani Kong, Lissa Robinson, John Thomson, Katherine Ylitalo
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Alberta Media Fund, the Government of Canada Special Measures for Journalism Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts.
