Fall 2016 Auctions Hit New Peak

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HISTORICAL ART & AUCTIONS

New energy revved up the November art auctions with much attention focused on the new record established for a Canadian painting, Mountain Forms by Lawren Harris, which sold for $11.2 million. But beyond that mind-boggling sale at Heffel, many other wonderful Canadian artists rode a rising wave of value, including Gordon Smith, Jack Shadbolt, J.W. Morrice and A.Y. Jackson.

Heffel, Toronto

Heffel’s preview presentation at the Design Exchange building in Toronto was, bar none, the best I have ever seen in Canada. I go back to my old adage that auction previews are the best way to view art you may never see again. It was a pleasure to sit amidst the building’s elegant art-deco style and the wonderful murals by Canadian artist Charles Comfort.

The Post-War and Contemporary Art sale took off right with a 1965 abstract by Gordon Smith that sold at $177,000, doubling the high estimate. From then on, few pieces fell through the cracks that often occur with contemporary works. One favourite piece was a wonderful Jack Shadbolt, Morning Tide Pools, 1959, which sold for $50,150, setting a new level for his brilliant early work. I would like to see other Vancouver painters of this era, like Toni Onley and Donald Jarvis, get the same attention. The sale roared on, producing record results for works too numerous to mention. There was a noticeable fall off for the Automatistes and some lesser pieces, but, overall, the auction was a great success.

Heffel’s Fine Canadian Art auction, in a room filled to capacity, included a small but stunning J.W. Morrice, Canada’s most important international painter. Figures on a Beach, circa 1905-1906, sold for $236,000, five times the top estimate. Everything in this tiny painting was perfectly done. The sales room was lively again for a small A.Y. Jackson, Frozen Lake, 1914, painted in Tom Thomson style. This wonderful work doubled the top-end estimate, selling at $188,800. The steal of the night (if there can be such a thing at Heffel) was a wonderful Anne Savage, St Sauveur des Monts, Quebec, 1937. Savage is represented well in the current Beaver Hall Group exhibition, which should have translated into more than $23,600. Her work consistently shows independence and brilliance. Nevertheless, the Lawren Harris, Mountain Forms, circa 1926, was coming up fast and the room’s energy was rising.

Of course, we know it became the most expensive Canadian painting ever sold at $11.2 million. Coming back to reality after that is tough, but then up came one of my favourite Harris works at the sale, Mount Odaray from Lake McArthur / Rocky Mountain Sketch CXXV. A beautiful oil on board, done circa 1926-1928, it sold for $590,000. After the $11-million sale, it seemed like a good buy, indeed. On came some wonderful Emily Carr works on paper, a fine David Milne and a 1928 A.J. Casson sketch, a good buy for someone who knows Group of Seven history. Casson’s Ice House, Coldwell Bay relates to the group’s boxcar trips along Lake Superior, but even with a fine piece of writing by Lisa Christensen, the manager of Heffel’s Calgary office, the piece sold under value at $29,500, a good buy for sharp eyes.

A final Heffel auction of the Peter and Joanne Brown collection featured fabulous examples of important Canadian art bought over the years by people who obviously love collecting. Brown, a Vancouver businessman and former vice-chairman of Expo, offered work by every member of the Group of Seven and several pieces by Bill Reid. The sale results were overwhelmingly positive. Of course, some works remained unsold or went below estimate. But, to me, all that says is personal buys are not always about financial gain.

Consignor Canadian Fine Art, Toronto

This was only the second live sale for Consignor, which started with an online presence. The web-platform technology was well done, and it was logical to step once again into the live format with in-house auctioneer Robert Cowley. The auction of Important Canadian Art was well organized with 124 lots. A number of works stood out, interestingly enough, primarily by Western Canadian artists. Kim Dorland, originally from Wainwright, Alta., was represented by Big Wheel, 2007, which sold for $14,950. Dorland has taken Canada by storm since first appearing at the Angell Gallery in Toronto in the early 2000s.  Now also represented by VivianeArt in Calgary and Equinox Gallery in Vancouver, he continues to produce powerful paintings. My next picks were by William Perehudoff, both works on paper, 1972 and 1979. They sold for $4,600 and $3,450, respectively. Both pieces demonstrate why Perehudoff was a brilliant abstract painter worthy of higher values.

Another influential artist in the West was J.W.G. “Jock” Macdonald. His abstract Daybreak (Modality Series), 1937, sold for $69,000. The sale flowed well with noticeable values on some good pieces. J.E.H. MacDonald’s Tracks and Traffic, 1912, sold for $230,000, while his small work, A Hill Path, High Park, 1907, went at $27,600. Tom Thomson’s small painting, Country Landscape with Stream (Huntsville), circa 1912, found a buyer at $103,500. My favourite Christopher Pratt serigraph, My Sixty-One, 1988, which shows Pratt’s sailboat docked amid a mysterious evening light, went for more than $7,000. It represents Pratt’s love of art, light and, of course, ocean sailing.

Waddington’s, Toronto

Canadian art specialist Linda Rodeck has a fine eye for privately owned consignments. Her consistency in finding gems not previously seen in the market paid off in this Canadian Fine Art sale of 128 lots. Under the watchful eye of auctioneer Stephen Ranger, a wonderful painting by Charles Comfort, Whitman Monument (Bon Echo Rock, Mazinaw Lake), sold in the packed room for $7,800. The light in this scene was well interpreted. Comfort, of course, was the director of the National Gallery of Canada from 1959 to 1965. Some great works by Beaver Hall Group artists were scattered through the sale and did well. Also included were small gems by A.J. Casson that generally exceeded the results at other auction houses. A stellar painting by Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Scène d’hiver à Ste-Rose, did not disappoint, selling at $24,000.

One buyer made a wise purchase of a William Kurelek, Wartime Harvesting Near Winnipeg, 1967, at $57,600. The picture was part of Kurelek’s quest to show the history of early immigrant farms on the Prairies. Another tiny painting by L.L. Fitzgerald, Nude Study, featured prominently in my eye. Rare and perfect, it was expertly handled with bold strokes and sold for $4,560. The best small Harold Town abstract I have seen in some time, Untitled, 1959, sold at $20,400, a strong value in what has recently been an up-and-down Painters Eleven market. 

But the gem of this sale was by J.W. Morrice. The Crossing shows the front a ship, busy with people, its flag flying in the wind. A perfect example of his apt handling of paint and subject, it sold for $204,000. Finally, up came a Maxwell Bates, Eviction, 1967. I note the relevance of this work depicting a family of evictees in distress. Painted in Vancouver in the representational style only Bates could render, it should be museum-bound for historical note, but was wisely bought at $5,760. And one last note regarding Western painters and abstraction: An active work, Bridge Near McLeod, 1958, by Dennis Burton, originally of Lethbridge, Alta., but known more as a Toronto painter of the 1960s, sold for $7,200, a fabulous value for a great piece.

Levis Fine Art Auctions, Calgary

The most important work to mention was a privately owned painting by Maxwell Bates, Café, circa 1960, which sold for $39,000. Although an aggressive subject, dark and brooding, as a good Bates should be, the painting was pursued by numerous buyers. It’s good to see a major work by this important artist sell for a reasonable value.

Hodgins Art Auctions, Calgary

Hodgins has a new venue in southeast Calgary. Kevin King and Kyra Lanis are the new owners, and King is also the auctioneer. Readers may be familiar with King and his sales over the years with his previous partner, Frank Hall. I wish them continued success in Calgary. 

Ed Note: Prices include commissions.