Auction Report Spring 2021

Emerging from the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, the auction market in Canada stayed online this spring, with so-called “live” auctions streamed to viewers across the country.  

The virtual auction market is expanding rapidly, and companies have taken the past year to improve access and platforms for online sales. Though some private viewings were held by appointment, more clients continue to follow and bid at online auctions without seeing works in person.

Levis Fine Art, Calgary

This April 18 sale had many highlights, beginning with the first lot: Dale Auger’s Eagle Watcher, circa 2006. Auger died just two years after painting it. It sold for $10,530.

Ted Godwin’s large canvas, Autumn’s Gold, circa 1978-84, attracted many bidders. A stunning example of Godwin’s painterly abstractions of the landscape, it sold at $38,025, a record for his work.

A small gem from A.Y. Jackson’s early period in Europe, Ile de la Cité, Paris Pont Neuf, 1912, was a rare find. An accurate, though conservative, estimate of $12,000 to $15,000 activated bidders. The beautiful sketch sold for $46,800.

Oil paintings by W.J. Phillips are extremely rare. In my time, I have possibly seen only three. Phillips handled his work with a controlled hand and an accuracy of colour, light and subject matter. His Bow Lake, from 1954, sold for $35,100.

A conservative estimate was tripled for Ivan Eyre’s large and peaceful Field Drop, done in 2000. The expansive pointillist painting sold at $140,400.

It’s rare to see work by American Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein in Canada. I was pleased to spot the serigraph Mirror #5, 1972, on my preview walk-through. It went for $12,870. As the sale was in Canadian dollars, this would have been a good buy for a knowledgeable American dealer or client.

With an overall sale rate of 98 per cent and many works that exceeded estimates, it was a positive spring sale for Levis.

Hodgins Art Auctions, Calgary

Once again, Hodgins’ live online sale was open to private previews before the May 31 event. The 240 lots were conservative overall, with many well-known Western Canadian artists. Hodgins has developed a strong base of clients for these artists and it showed throughout the sale.

A work by Georgia Jarvis, Working for Supper, from 1987, was popular. The bidding was active and kept going up. The original estimate was tripled and the work sold for $18,720, a record for the artist.

Ted Harrison’s 1981 painting, The White Dog, is a prime example of the artist’s imaginative work. It attracted active bidding and the hammer came down at $93,600, a record for Harrison at auction.

Emily Carr’s Beaver Canon (sic), from 1886, is a small, rare and very early work. Hodgins provided excellent research on the painting’s provenance and history, right down to the misspelling of canyon in the title. It sold for $32,175.

The works of Daphne Odjig are reaching a larger audience. Among the Totems, 1992, swirls with vibrant, surreal colours and multiple images. It sold for $43,875.

Hodgins’ sale of historical Canadian art points to a strong and ongoing secondary market for these works.

BYDealers, Montreal

This relatively new auction company in Montreal is defining itself with expertise in Quebec’s contemporary and historical art. I consistently learn from them about the depth of post-war artists from the province.

Although I list only well-known artists from the May 30 sale, you can easily find the complete catalogue on the BYDealers website.

Paul-Emile Borduas’ Modulation aux points noirs, from 1955, is a fine example of his wonderful white and black painting. The estimate was possibly a bit aggressive, but it sold at $532,800, a good result.

An early experimental piece by Jean McEwen, Midi, temps jaune, 1960, sold at $122,400.

Ron Martin’s Bocour Red, 1973, is a large and energetic work. It’s an excellent conceptual painting and full of life. It sold for $86,400.

Cowley Abbott, Toronto 

There was one exceptional example of a rare and special painting in Cowley Abbott’s June 1 sale: Alaska Highway, Northern British Columbia, by British artist Henry G. Glyde. It’s work like this that keeps me interested.

Glyde landed in Calgary in 1935 and, from then on, explored Western Canada. He was a brilliant educator and successful artist. In 1937, he was head of painting at the Banff Centre summer art camps. There he met A.Y. Jackson and, in 1943, the two artists went north, with a commission from the National Gallery to create studies of the Alaska Highway. Glyde’s painting clearly comes from that time. The watercolour sketch for this fine canvas is held in an important public collection in Alberta and most of his related works are in museums or galleries. It sold at $54,280, a well-deserved record for Glyde’s work.

For its June 9 sale, Cowley Abbott put together a live platform with auctioneer Robert Cowley knocking down the hammer to phone bidders and the online bid table. The sale was lively and well received. Good results rolled out quickly.

Sorel Etrog’s Manon sold for $102,000. It’s an elegant sculpture that deserves every bit of the attention it received.

Frank Carmichael’s 1915 painting, Orillia, doubled its estimate, selling for $144,000. A small winter painting, it had a single provenance from the artist's family. It has been some time since I've seen such active bidding on a Carmichael. He was a brilliant member of the Group of Seven.

I must admit I liked the mysterious quality of Ivan Eyre’s Amber Pass, 1992, with a path leading to distant mountains. It sold at $228,000.

Maud Lewis was represented by four small and original images with good provenance. They sold for a total of $159,600. Flowers in Red Pot set a record for Lewis at $48,000. If I had one wish, it would be for her to know how her tiny honest paintings have found such interest across Canada.

Kim Dorland’s powerful Green Tree Blue Tree, painted in 2009, was shown at the McMichael in a 2013 exhibition called You are Here. Strong bidding achieved a record price for his work at $66,000.

Douglas Morton was a member of the Regina Five. His 1965 painting, Two With Grey, is a prime example of his large-scale abstract work. It sold for a record $26,400.

Throughout the evening sale, bidding was responsive with fine results overall.

Cowley Abbott's June 24 international art sale is also worth noting. International art is finding an expanded audience well beyond Canada's borders. 

The story of David Bowie’s painting DHead XLVI, 1997, has been well publicized. Found in a small shop in Northern Ontario, it was purchased for a few dollars out of curiosity. It turned out to be authentic and sold for $108,120.

William Scott’s minimalist abstract paintings are rarely seen in Canada anymore. British collectors are seeking them out now with increased interest. His XIV/L, 1974, sold for $24,000.

A great example of Picasso’s Madoura ceramics was also up for sale. Visage No. 111, (A. Ramié 746) sold for $11,400.

First Arts, Inuit & First Nations Art, Toronto                                                                                                

This prime auction house for Indigenous art is worth noting as it continually presents beautiful and, on occasion, rare finds. The combined knowledge of the owners is extensive and precise. Its website is worth checking for its many wonderful works.

Kenojuak Ashevak is known for her owls. Autumnal Owl, from 1999, sold for $12,300 during the June 3 auction, an incredible result for this colourful beauty.

Beau Dick was a powerful carver and image maker. His small Clam Shell Rattle, dated 1984, is a clear and precious piece. It sold for $6,765. 

At its July 13 sale, First Arts offered another 130 fascinating lots. Incredible collections were represented and specific collectors who know exactly what they wanted, responded. Although some pieces did not find buyers and some sold below their estimates, the sale had numerous success stories.

Manasie Akpaliapik's Drum Dancer, from 1989, is exquisite. The catalogue story about Akpaliapik and the creative power of this piece is fantastic. It sold at $26,400.

A fine mask by Robert Davidson, S’gan Mask (Killer Whale Mask), 1990, met its ambitious estimate with a sale at $90,000, a world record for a Davidson mask at auction. And a tiny but perfectly carved image, Young Hunter with Captured Geese, circa 1954-55, by Sheokjuk Oqutaq, has incredible detail. After fast and determined bidding, it sold for $31,200.

Haida Chief Holding a Copper, circa 1890, by an unidentified artist, executed in black argillite, sold at $31,200.

Another unidentified artist produced Standing Mother and Child, from the early 1950s. This early Inuit sculpture is incredible. It sold at $33,600.

Josephie Pootoogook’s Joyfully I See Ten Caribou, from 1959, is a rare early print with simple yet meaningful forms. A pure joy, it sold for $13,200.

Another piece by an unidentified artist, Rattle in the Form of a Copper, from the late 19th century, was once owned by Andy Warhol. It sold at $25,200. 

Waddington’s Canadian Fine Art, Toronto

Although this “live” catalogued sale took place June 3 in an exclusively online format, Waddington’s did offer private preview appointments. There were several notable works.

John Hartman’s Dorset, Night Figure, circa 1989-90, sold for $20,400. It was an excellent value for a prime early painting, full of fantasy and executed with a strong brush. Hartman spent time in Cape Dorset during this period and created lovely watercolour works and etchings, which are on view until July 31 at the Nicholas Metivier Gallery in Toronto.

Moonlight, a rare and quiet Cornelius Krieghoff painting with an impeccable provenance, led the online bidding right to the close. It sold for $390,000. I have not seen a Krieghoff achieve this value in a long time.

The history and provenance of Jack Bush’s Green Up, 1970, was strong and the piece was from a prime period. In my view, the painting was wonderful. Honestly, I was surprised it did not accelerate higher than  $324,000.

Anne Meredith Barry was a Newfoundland painter and printmaker who died in 2003. Her lively 1998 piece, From Cupids to Bareneed, came from a prominent corporate collection. It sold for $26,400, a record for her work.

Ted Godwin’s Spring Spirits, undated, sold for $15,600. This is a brilliant painting, and the wise person who stepped up for it made a good decision. In my view, it was the bargain buy of the whole sale. Godwin’s larger landscapes have attracted much higher values and are somewhat rare in the retail market.

Several significant pieces were passed over, and three wonderful early works by Michael Snow were withdrawn before the sale. They are soon to be gifted to a major Canadian public gallery, a generous gift, indeed.

As previously mentioned, a corporate collection once based in Calgary was dispersed by the new ownership through this sale. Six prominent pieces were in the June 3 live sale, and the remainder in the June 13 online sale. Primarily consisting of well-chosen contemporary artists from Western Canada, this sale was certainly of note for interested collectors.

Someone finally found the value in Louis de Niverville with A Long Day at the Beach, 1996. It went for $3,900. In the past, his work has sold at levels far below their true worth.

W.L. Stevenson’s large oil painting, Bend in the River, is a fantastic landscape that was exhibited in one of his last curated exhibitions in the early 1960s. It sold for $5,100, likely a record for Stevenson’s work.

Illingworth Kerr’s painting, Old Burn, with Fireweed, from 1979, is full of his signature brush and colour. It sold for $9,000.

A small gem, Untitled, 1995, by John Hall, sold at $2,400. Hall is now based in Kelowna, B.C., and will continue to be an important Canadian painter as time goes on.

The sale closed with good results supported by interested collectors who bought many excellent works for less than their current retail values.

Heffel, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal

Heffel’s live platform in three venues was presented very well. Robert and David Heffel were on stage in Vancouver. The first group of works at their Post War and Contemporary Art sale on June 23 was hammered down with good results, an indication of the strong interest in this sale.

Edward J. Hughes’ 1962 painting, The Beach at Kalamalka Lake, sold at $391,250. The work depicts an Okanagan scene, east of his usual base on the West Coast. This painting originally sold in 1999 for $30,800. In recent years, appreciation of Hughes has soared to new heights.

Takao Tanabe’s Inside Passage, 1/89: Burke Channel sold at $169,250, well beyond my hopeful bid!

Joe Fafard’s exceptional 1986 sculpture of Diefenbaker, The Politician, captures the man with humour and wit. It sold for $145,250, a record for Fafard, who died in 2019.

Another record sale of $181,250 happened for Jean McEwen’s Sans titre. It had one previous owner and an excellent provenance, catching collectors’ attention.

Study for Woman, Dog, and Canoe, from 1982, is the study for one of my favourite Alex Colville serigraphs. It features his incredible devotion to detail and sold for $46,250. Years ago, I held this in my hands while hanging a Colville exhibition with Mira Godard. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20!

Late in her life, Doris McCarthy pursued her fantastical iceberg paintings based on memories of her Arctic visits in the late 1970s. Aurora and the Bergs, from 1996, sold for $181,250.

At Heffel’s Canadian, Impressionist & Modern Art sale on June 23, one absolutely stunning work was A Green Pool, French River, Canada, circa 1864, by Frances Anne Hopkins. It was bought in London in 1914 and held in a private collection all this time. It sold for $193,250. To have this rare work return to Canada is perfect, as Hopkins is a legend in Canadian art history.

No doubt, the excitement and focal points of this sale were two incredible paintings by Emily Carr. It's highly worthwhile to read in depth about the discovery of these rare and beautiful creations.

The first Carr painting, Tossed by the Wind, from 1939, sold at $3,121,250. It was purchased from the Vancouver Art Gallery's art rental in the '50s, a brilliant move by the private collector who enjoyed it all these years.

The second piece by Carr, Swirl, 1937, sold at $2,341,250. Another fascinating history of provenance was revealed in this fabulous painting. Originally a gift from Carr to Lawren Harris, it was purchased from him and  remained in the same family until now. It didn’t disappoint. Active bidding by collectors kept the phones busy and the hammer still until the final “sold.”

Interest in Cornelius Krieghoff’s paintings reflects ongoing fascination with his rare pictures. With a strong provenance and approved authenticity, his Quebec Farm, from 1856, sold at $571,250.

Overall, it was a very positive sale for Heffel and well-deserved.

Although it was a long spring season, watching these auctions online, while homebound, was a positive experience. I was very pleased to see increased sales and strength in the Canadian art market. ■ 

All prices include the buyer’s premium unless otherwise noted. Images are courtesy of the respective auction houses.