Pablo Picasso, " Femme au chapeau," 1941, oil on canvas, 24" x 15" ($9,163,750 - Heffel)
Canada’s fall auction season saw some remarkable highs – including $9 million for a painting by Pablo Picasso and $2.4 million for a painting by Emily Carr – but many good works by Canadian artists did not sell.
The season opened Nov. 3 at Calgary’s Levis Fine Art. It was followed by sales at ByDealers in Montreal, and three Toronto sales – Waddington’s, Cowley Abbott and Heffel. As well, Sotheby’s in New York offered notable Canadian paintings by Emily Carr and Lawren Harris.
Emily Carr, "Skedans," 1912, 35" x 58.5" (sold after auction, reportedly for US$2 million - Sotheby's)
I follow many directions in Canadian and international art, attempting to find forgotten gems and stunning examples of undervalued art. I viewed over 1,500 works, both live and online, and the season’s results left me puzzled.
Auctions are a vital part of the art market, even as the demographics of collectors shift. We need to see positive growth to keep sale values strong. Canadian artists deserve attention from collectors. They are brilliant and original creators, yet their art remains undervalued.
Levis Fine Art, Calgary
Corporate consignments and private collections, including a prominent estate from Edmonton, provided fine works by Maxwell Bates, Molly Lamb Bobak, Ted Godwin, Ronald Spickett and other prominent Canadian artists. On the international side, works by Francesco Clemente, Friedel Dzubas and Francisco Zúñiga were a pleasant surprise.
Alex Janvier, "Networking Curator," circa 1988, gouache on paper, 22" x 30" ($29,250 - Levis)
Standout sales included Alex Janvier’s Networking Curator, circa 1988, a fine gouache on paper that sold for $29,250, an auction record for his work.
Doris McCarthy, "Untitled - Grand Alpine Vista," 2000, oil on canvas, 48" x 60" ($28,080 - Levis)
Doris McCarthy’s Untitled – Grand Alpine Vista, 2000, a studio painting showing a view south of Jasper, sold for $28,080. David Thauberger’s Honeymoon Nights, 1983, found a buyer at $15,210, an auction record for him.
I also noted low values paid for some important pieces and works left unsold, an underlying reality throughout the fall sales.
ByDealers, Montreal
This auction previewed during Art Toronto, an attempt to establish interest with clients beyond Quebec.
Jean Paul Lemieux, "Les deux cavaliers," 1972 ($1,680,000 - ByDealers)
The Nov. 10 sale of 61 lots featured primarily Quebec modernist and contemporary art, including a small selection from Painters Eleven. Quebec artists sold well, with some stellar results. Les deux cavaliers, 1972, by Jean Paul Lemieux, sold at almost $1.7 million, the highest price paid for his work this season.
Marcelle Ferron, "Untitled," 1956 ($240,000 - ByDealers)
Marcelle Ferron’s Untitled, 1956, sold at $240,000, a strong value for this small prime-period painting. Alfred Pellan’s Phytographie, circa 1958, went for $72,000, notable because his prices have fallen somewhat behind. The sale also featured standout paintings by Serge Lemoine, Philip Surrey, Claude Tousignant and Guido Molinari.
Alfred Pellan, "Phytographie," circa 1958, ($72,000 - ByDealers)
Montreal collectors seem to have a strong interest in hard-edge paintings from the 1960s, including the Plasticien movement. But fine works by other artists did not sell.
Waddington’s, Toronto
Stephen Ranger and his team found excellent consignments with provenance from private collections. Of note were fine examples of work by Walter J. Phillips from the collection of Frederick H. Brigden, an artist and illustrator who owned Brigden’s Limited, a graphic arts firm that produced the T. Eaton Company’s western catalogue. He maintained an interest in fine prints throughout his life.
Walter J. Phillips, "Karlukwees BC," 1929, woodcut, printed in colours, 99/100, 10" x 12" ($66,000 - Waddington's)
The Nov. 18 sale had a strong opening with sales of works by Phillips, such as Karlukwees, BC, 1929, a brilliant woodprint that sold for $66,000. Works by Alex Colville and Harold Town also sold. But conservative landscape art did not get much interest.
Edward Burtynsky, "Xiaolangdi Dam, Yellow River, Henan Province, China," 2011, chromogenic print, 40" x 64" ($28,800 - Waddington's)
Edward Burtynsky’s, Xiaolangdi Dam, Yellow River, Henan Province, China, 2011, sold for $28,800. Although it has minimal colour, the energy and detail in this large-format image is powerful. It was also a pleasure to see William Perehudoff’s AC-78-54, 1978, get excellent attention. It sold for $40,800.
Kent Monkman, "Study for the Academy," 2008, acrylic on canvas, 24" x 36" ($108,000 - Waddington's)
I am concerned that strong historical pieces sold below estimate or got no interest. Ranger had to work to find buyers, but there were decisive moments. For instance, Kent Monkman’s Study for the Academy, 2008, sold for $108,000, an auction record for him.
The sale of 138 lots moved on through notable passes on Lawren Harris. A tiny painting by Molly Lamb Bobak sold late for $24,000, confirming strong interest in her work.
Sotheby’s, New York
I watched this Nov. 19 sale online to see what happened to an important Emily Carr, a rare large-scale painting from a private collection, as well as a Lawren Harris from the Teron Collection in Canada.
Despite images and essays within the auction catalogue – and a picture on the cover – the Carr work, Skedans, 1912, failed to sell. Its estimate was US$3 million to US$5 million. It sold after the auction, reportedly for US$2 million.
Lawren Harris, "In the White Mountains II," circa 1934-35, 18" x 22" (US$350,000 plus premium - Sotheby's)
The Harris painting of a New Hampshire landscape, In the White Mountains II, circa 1934-35, sold for US$350,000, plus premium.
Cowley Abbott (formerly Consignor), Toronto
While a tough season was shaping up, I hoped Robert Cowley and Lydia Abbott would do well with what seemed a selective, even indifferent, audience at their Nov 19 sale.
André Biéler, "The Market Stall," 1946, oil on board, 16.5" x 20" ($29,500 - Cowley Abbott)
André Biéler’s The Market Stall, 1946, was sold at $29,500. It’s a brilliant work by this often-undervalued Montreal painter. Jean McEwen’s Roses traversant les jaunes, 1978, found collector interest at $88,500. This large, beautiful painting came from the Calgary collection of TC Energy.
William Kurelek, "Pioneer Homestead on a Winter's Evening," 1971, mixed media on board, 24" x 19" ($82,600 - Cowley Abbott)
A vintage William Kurelek, Pioneer Homestead on a Winter’s Evening, 1971, still in the original frame, sold for $82,600. Another work by Molly Lamb Bobak, Highland Games, Fredericton, 1975, reached $100,300.
As at other sales, some fine offerings either sold below estimate or did not sell at all. What seems to be missing is a new demographic of younger collectors and educated, interested and positive media attention.
Heffel, Toronto
Heffel organized a beautiful preview at the Design Exchange and gained media attention for works by Emily Carr, Andy Warhol, Barbara Hepworth and Pablo Picasso.
E.J. Hughes, "Vancouver Boat at the Old Wharf, Nanaimo, BC," 1958, graphite on paper, 14" x 22" ($169,250 - Heffel)
The post-war contemporary sale kicked in quickly with strong sales of works by Lemieux and Molinari. After a pass on David Blackwood, a painting by E.J. Hughes, Vancouver Boat at the Old Wharf, Nanaimo, BC, 1958, sold for $169,250, an incredible price for a small drawing. The energy continued as Andy Warhol’s, Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn), 1967, climbed to $217,250.
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Joan Mitchell, "Untitled," circa 1956-58, oil on canvas, 22" x 17" ($1,051,250 - Heffel)
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Jean Paul Riopelle, "Sans titre," 1960, oil on paper on canvas, 26" x 20" (no sale - Heffel)
Joan Mitchell’s Untitled, circa 1956-58, sold for more than $1 million. It’s a great small painting by Mitchell, sold many years ago by the Udell Gallery in Edmonton. At the preview, it was placed next to a brilliant 1960 work on paper by J.P. Riopelle, her onetime partner. Too bad it passed. They belonged together.
Barbara Hepworth, "Maquette for Dual Form," 1966, bronze sculpture with brown and green patina 7/9, 10"x 14.5" x 7" ($601,250 - Heffel)
Barbara Hepworth’s Maquette for Dual Form, 1966, sold for $601,250. The piece was an absolute gem.
Some wonderful pieces succeeded, including works by Larry Poons, Joyce Wieland, Mary Pratt and Jack Bush. But there was little interest, below-estimate values or passes on works by Alex Colville, Christopher Pratt and Karel Appel.
Anticipation was high at Heffel’s second sale, the last live event of the season, with a Pablo Picasso and an incredible early Emily Carr on the block.
A.J. Casson, "Morning on the Inlet," circa 1959, oil on board, 24" x 45" ($301,250 - Heffel)
Sybil Andrews and Arthur Lismer launched the sale with some momentum. A.J. Casson’s Morning on the Inlet, circa 1959, went for $301,250. A fine work, it was a good buy that could have sold over the high estimate only a few years ago.
Emily Carr, "Street, Alert Bay," 1912, oil on canvas, 32" x 23" ($2,401,250 - Heffel)
Emily Carr’s Street, Alert Bay, 1912, a rare and interesting painting with strong private provenance, reached the low estimate, selling for $2.4 million.
The Picasso, Femme au chapeau, 1941, sold within minutes for more than $9 million to Robert Heffel’s phone bidder. After the room settled down, a Prudence Heward and a Lawren Harris achieved good results. Two important paintings by American wildlife artist Carl Rungius did not sell. ■
All prices include the buyer’s premium unless otherwise noted. Images are courtesy of the respective auction houses.
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