Here we are at the end of another busy spring auction season. I covered seven of the sales, the best offerings of the season.

All the auction companies started with early spring online sales. There has been a softening of bidding, although upon careful examination, gems did show up and do well. 

Highlights include: 

• Lawren Harris, Mountain Experience, 1945, sold for $541,250.
• Lawren Harris, Brazeau Snowfield, Jasper Park, Mountain Painting XII, 1936, sold for $1.8 million.

These two paintings reflect Harris’ gradual move to abstraction. When he created the Mountain Experience work in 1945, abstraction on the larger North American stage saw the emergence of Colour Field painting, understood to be the inevitable next step in Modernist abstract art’s trajectory. As early as the mid-1920s, Harris was Toronto’s leading promoter of abstract art. In 1927, he played a key role in bringing the International Exhibition of Modern Art, a show devoted to the newest abstract art, to the Art Gallery of Toronto.

There is no doubt that secondary market auction sales have an abundance of Canadian and international consignments due to estates, corporate offloads, and possibly due to economic issues for some, a need for income. The spring sales, live and online, offered incredible Canadian and international offerings from private, corporate and museum gallery collections.

Levis Fine Art Auctions: Calgary

Levis Fine Art Auctions was first in line with their annual spring online sale catalogue, which included corporate artworks, fine estate collections and works from private collectors. The sale took place April 21.

Maxwell Bates caught my attention; Prairie People, 1975, is a dynamic family group as only Max could portray, sold for $22,230. It is a rare and larger painting; the buyer did well. Then Three Girls, 1953, sold for $8,190. I was expecting a higher value for this painting.

Frederick S. Coburn, The Last Load sold for $1,404. This historical etching deserved more attention. From the estate of Henry Beaumont, one of Calgary’s prominent and passionate collectors, it fell short in my opinion. 

Ted Harrison, Northern Lights, 1979, sold for $22,230. Quiet Streets, 1981, sold for $26,910. Harrison’s earlier small paintings continue to find collectors. They are true honest interpretations of the North.

Illingworth Kerr, Prairie Sky, 1968, sold for $16,380. This painting, from his more abstract landscape period certainly warranted more attention. The buyer did well.

Daphne Odjig, Moonlite Serenade, sold for $40,950. This powerful abstract image — more experimental than much of Odjig’s work — is worthy of the attention.

W.J. Phillips, Moraine Lake sold for $11,700. Phillips captured the quiet day and subject with incredible detail and light. It is well worth the purchase. These watercolours deserve far more attention than they get.

A beautiful example of Webb’s realist paintings, William (Bill) Webb, By Chapel Rock, 2003, sold for $11,115. I am happy to see his work excel. 

Within the Contemporary Art section there were some fine large paintings, a corporate consignment that included Melanie Authier, Mark Dicey, Steve Driscoll, Alexandra Haeseker, Billy McCarroll and Mark Mullin. Overall they sold with varying success. Often larger contemporary artworks are worthy of more attention from buyers. Memo to collectors with large walls: Watch these auctions!

Heffel: Toronto

Next up, Heffel with three major sales. No doubt it’s been a busy time at the Heffel offices, with previews across the country and excellent catalogues. The evening auction in Toronto on May 23 attracted a full room and bidders’ interests from across the country with some international attention. Post-War and Contemporary Art was first, with Robert Heffel on the podium. I noted many important artworks of interest. Some standouts included:

Takao Tanabe, Nootka 1/91: in Hanna Channel 1991 sold for a record at $451,250. The attention is well deserved for Tanabe who, at age 98, is a Canadian legend.

Mary Pratt, Girl in my Dressing Gown, 1981, sold for $289,250. This stunning quiet painting has a history all its own. I was pleased to see it sell for a record value at auction. Pratt was special, creating common life stories throughout her career. 

Christiane S. Pflug, Still Life with Fruit and Blue Teapot, 1957, sold for $25,000. This rare painting by an artist who left us too soon is quiet and beautiful. It deserved the attention of the wise collector who pursued it, setting a record for the artist’s work.

Alex Colville, Swimmer and Sun, 1993, sold for $541,250. One of the best small paintings to return to Canada from Britain, this simple composition is haunting and mysterious, as only Colville could imagine and create. It was hammered down at $450,000, on the phone.

Jean Paul Riopelle, Sans Titre, 1954, sold at $661,250. This small canvas — just 13 by nine inches — has a strong provenance, the Pierre Matisse Gallery, and then Mira Godard Gallery. It is a tiny gem of colour and light, and obviously it attracted strong bidding.

I was somewhat surprised with the results for 1-53, 1962, by the important artist, Morris Louis; it was passed over. One of the giants of American colour field abstraction, he has exhibited his stripe series worldwide. It is unfortunate it was missed by bidders.

Kenneth Noland, Incresent, 1982, sold for $103,250, an excellent buy for the collector. His importance within abstract painting is undeniable, and as a participant in the Emma Lake Workshops, he had a huge influence on Canadian art and artists. 

Jack Bush, Scoop Totem, 1973, $241,250 and Christmas, 1973, $103,250, both with David Mirvish Gallery provenance, sold but once again I have noted a softening in the prices for Bush’s work. His incredible history and story will unfold soon with the release of Dr. Sarah Stanner’s new book Jack Bush Paintings: A Catalogue Raisonée. Nevertheless, the paintings are excellent representations of the artist’s works. 

David Blackwood, Fire Down on the Labrador, 1980, $133,250 — a famous image — achieved a record for his etchings.

Ivan K. Eyre, Winnetka, 1978, sold for $217,250. I like this period of Eyre’s painting, somewhat surreal and abstract. He was brilliant.

The Canadian Impressionist & Modern Art had three sales in one night, with David Heffel conducting from the podium. A few fine paintings by Clarence Gagnon, Frederick Varley and Lawren Harris were certainly worth noting and sold well, but a pleasant surprise was up next.

A.J. Casson, Summer Sky, 1955, sold for $781,250, one of a series of more abstract compositions of landscape subjects. Some of his most important creations, these works show his desire to establish his own distinctive interpretations of the land and sky.

Emily Carr, Scorned as Timber, Beloved of the Sky, circa 1935, sold for $871,250. It doubled the low estimate on the hammer at $725,000. 

Following this was the brilliant Emily Carr, War Canoes, Alert Bay, circa 1908, selling at $871,250. First sold in 2012 by Heffel for $351,000, it has accelerated beyond $550,000 for the consignor. 

Efa Prudence Heward, Sunflowers, 1936, sold at $301,250. Heward was a Beaver Hall Group painter who created portraits that for the time were astounding images, primarily of Black women. This rare, beautiful painting set a record for her creations. 

Maurice G. Cullen, Cab Stands, Phillips Square, Montreal,1911, sold for $541,250. Possibly because I have a strong connection to Montreal, I was attracted to this stunning view of a cold winter night in the city. The detail and brushwork solidified the story I want to have unfold of historical life in the grand city.

The highly anticipated sale of the night had arrived: Legendary, The Collection of Torben V. Kristiansen, 1930 – 2023. I highly recommend further investigation via Heffel’s website into Kristiansen’s fascinating story. His long legacy of art dealing was a small part of his life, but highly significant. I enjoyed many conversations with him, whenever or wherever we would meet. 

Jean Paul Riopelle, Verts ombreuses, 1949, sold for $2,761,250. Created with energy and passion, this early work is stunning. Just one year after arriving in Paris, Riopelle established his presence with a distinct style and attitude. 

Lawren Harris, Mountain Experience, circa 1946, sold for $541,250. An aggressive abstraction featuring geometric design, beautiful colour and light, almost doubled the high estimate, which was a fine price for the collector. The historical life of this painting is extensive and well deserved. The provenance confirms it lived with Kristiansen since he acquired it from the estate.

B.C. Binning, Four Ships in Variable Weather, No.1, 1949, sold for $67,250. A wonderful small panel by the artist, a leader of abstraction in Vancouver and an influence on many to come. The bidder made a brilliant buy this year, as it sold in 2011 for $99,000. Its provenance was Oscar Erickson by descent to Arthur Erickson. I was surprised it did not achieve a higher price.

Tom Thomson, Fall Woods, Algonquin Park, 1914, sold for $931,250. It’s always good to see a small gem by Thomson, especially when it revels in strong brushwork and piled-on colour en plien air, in the land he loved and explored. Kristiansen bought this by phone from Joyner Waddington’s in 2011, for $400,000, and kept it for his own enjoyment.

It was a busy and exciting evening for the audience and bidders, and a wealth of Canadian fine art found new homes. Well done.

BYDealers: Montreal

BYDealers, Important Canadian Art, started online at 3 p.m. MST on May 28. As usual, the Montreal-based sale had a strong selection of fine Quebec contemporary and historical artworks, and included international and Canadian art.

Although I noted some sales below estimates, BYDealers does tend to use retail values combined with secondary market sales for all the artworks. The sale of 62 pieces did well overall, considering 13 artworks were left unsold. There were still some stellar results.

Armand Vaillacourt, Sans Titre, 1964, sold at $69,000.

Jacques de Tonnancour, Symbole lunaire, 1969, sold at $7,200. With a provenance of Dunkelman Gallery, this painting deserved better attention. He is underrated. The collector got a deal.

Jacques Hurtubise, II y eut un Noir 1963, sold at $504,000, setting a record for the artist. Energetic and made early in his career, the large painting obviously caught the attention of bidders.

Henry Moore, Sundial, 1965, sold for $52,500. A beautifully designed functional piece, the provenance of the Lamarre collection, provenance from Marlborough Godard, Toronto, caught my attention.

César Baldaccini, Poulet dansant le Tango, 1957, sold for $57,500. This bronze “dancing chicken” certainly captured his imagination and creative energy.

Arnaldo Pomodoro, Sfera, 1983, sold for $460,000. This large bronze is fascinating, chosen by the Lamarre collection from the Marisa Del Re Gallery, New York.

Waddington’s: Toronto

Waddingtons, Canadian and International Art, Toronto, took place May 29 online.

Doris McCarthy, Stream from the Foothills, 2005, sold for $11,875. This watercolour was painted in Southern Alberta and is a good example from her trip west. 

Jean Paul Lemieux, Fille Au Voile Bleu, 1962, sold at $354,550. A strong price for this figurative painting, it created a serious bidding war.

A.J. Casson, Sun After Rain, 1959, sold well at $116.650. It’s nice to see these more abstracted Casson paintings capture strong bids and interest.

Norval Morrisseau, Nature’s Balance, 1975, sold for $183,750. This early painting on kraft paper had a strong provenance and attracted a bidding war. At last count, there were 38 bids online. 

Yves Gaucher, Fete Raga, 1967, sold at $49,550. The Raga series, important although challenging, are stunning quiet works of colour, from one of his best periods. 

An album featuring works by Kreighoff, Duncan and Jacobi, 66 artworks that were assembled by Ann McCord in the mid-19th century, sold for $30,720. It was incredible to see this small album of important works on paper by prominent early Canadian artists. The story related to this small, well-preserved collection is fascinating.

I am happy to see strong sales success at Waddingtons, but as noted throughout this auction season, several notable artworks were passed over. Collectors are focusing their interests and their funds.

Cowley Abbott: Toronto

Cowley Abbott presented their live sale at the Globe & Mail Centre, an appropriate venue for their excellent sale of consignments from both private collections, the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq and Art Windsor – Essex. Both institutions are de-accessioning for endowment funds. Part 1, Important Canadian and International Art, got underway on May 30 at 5 p.m. MST with Robert Cowley at the podium. 

Marcelle Ferron, Arbre du Ténéré, 1962, sold at $960,000. In my opinion, this is the best example of her work offered this spring. The control of paint and colour made this a standout abstract painting.

Tom Thomson, Spring Algonquin Park, 1914, sold for $720,000. During the live sale, this small panel was passed over. I am happy to see it sold to a collector after the sale closed.

David Milne, Early Morning, 1928, sold for $144,000. A beautiful canvas, such incredible detail colour and light, it deserved the strong bid.

Lawren Harris, Untitled, (abstract painting #173), circa 1958, sold at $504,000. The rhythm and colour make this one of his exciting abstractions. I appreciated seeing two major paintings of this period in the sales this spring. Both did well. 

Alex Janvier, Dene (the People),1991, sold for $120,000. Featuring symbolism of the Dene people, this painting deserved the attention.

Kim Dorland, Parklife, 2007, sold for $43,200. Full of bold paint depicting trees and deer, this painting travelled to Italy and back, and was included in the exhibition You Are Here: Kim Dorland and the Return to Painting, 2014.

William Kurelek, Death Fears Him Who Resist Her, sold at $50,400. This strange small panel featuring a possible self-portrait fighting off death, was one of five paintings by Kurelek on offer, yet only two sold, a change from past sales.

The international sale was conducted by Perry Tung. He hammered down #76 Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger (F&SII.144), which sold quickly at $180,000.

Tung worked his way through some surprising passes, but also successful sales, ending on a high note with two paintings, #96 & #97, Sayed Haider Raza, L’église du village, 1958, selling for $432,000, and Temple Protestant, 1957, for $960,000. This important Indian artist originally exhibited in Toronto in 1959 with Simon Dresdnere and obviously found interested collectors. 

Directly following this sale, Robert Cowley took over the podium for Part II, Auction of Select Important Collections.

J.E.H. MacDonald, Lake O’Hara, 1925, sold for $216,000. A gem of a sketch, this was the first offering from the W.A.G. collection.

David Milne, Bare Trees in Snow (New York), 1914-15, sold at $192,000. Full of Impressionist colour, this early powerful work, also from the WAG collection, is a perfect example of Milne’s creativity.

Kenneth Lochhead, Wide Inside, 1964, sold for $38,400. A brilliant example of his prime Regina Five period, it was worth double that in my opinion. The buyer made a wise choice.

Paul Kane, Parties of Indians in Two Canoes on Mountain Lake, circa 1855, sold for $720,000. The history of Kane’s travels revealed not only his adventures, but subjects that were impeccable paintings. They are rarely seen at auctions. This canvas was gifted to Art Windsor – Essex by prominent collectors in 1980.

Lawren Harris, Brazeau Snowfield, Jasper Park, 1936, sold for $1,800,000. This fine canvas, developed from a sketch, progressed from a “landscape” into Harris’s more spiritual abstraction which he pursued in his later years. Although it passed during the sale, I am pleased to see it sold. The sketch followed and sold for $312,000.

Ethel Seath, St Sulpice Garden, 1930, sold at $156,000. One of the original Beaver Hall Group members, she was a wonderful painter and prominent within the Montreal art scene for more than 60 years. This fine painting set a record for her work.

Although it was a somewhat bumpy ride for Cowley Abbott, with passes on works that deserved more attention, the auction overall was a success with strong sales.

Hodgins: Calgary

Hodgins, in Calgary on June 3, featured consignments from private collections, estates and corporate collections.

Maxwell Bates, Clowns, 1976, and Folies Pigalle,1976, sold for $2,700 each. These ingenious small works on paper are originally from Hazel Hett Gallery in Edmonton.

Ted Harrison, Caribou Hotel, 1968, sold for $15,600. Harrison moved to Canada from Great Britain in 1967, and soon settled in Carcross, Yukon, and began painting honest depictions of what he saw. This is a perfect example.

Joe Norris, The Happy Cove, sold for $10,800. With the original handmade frame and a perfect subject, it deserved the attention.

Christopher Pratt, Two Hunters, My Father & Tom Phippard Hunting Sea Ducks in 1934, 1993, sold for $11,400. It’s unusual to see this serigraph come up, a “memory” image for Chris. He loved his Newfoundland home.

Marion Nicoll, Ulysses’ Beach, Naxos, (No.III), 1959, sold for $27,000. There were 33 bids for this small painting; it attracted the attention of astute collectors.

Illingworth Kerr’s early paintings of Qu’Appelle Valley sold. Both were such fine paintings, with strong provenance; they should have achieved $5000.

Henry Glyde’s Off Pender, a perfect capture of turbulent weather, sold for $9,000. 

Attending the preview was worthwhile. The sale was efficient and did well overall.

First Arts: Toronto

First Arts, Inuit & First Nations Art, June 10, Toronto, their annual spring live online sale with 146 works of art to get your attention. Once again it shows the history of Inuit and Indigenous art, with excellent provenance throughout.

Manasie Akpaliapak, Bird Shaman,1990, sold at $29,800, a record for the artist’s work, one of best whale bone carvings I have seen.

Kenojuak Ashevak, Birds of the Sea,1960, sold for $34,160. This beautiful early stencil print in tones of blue was lyrical and imaginative.

Joe Talirunili, Migration Boat, 1972-74, sold at $158,600. With a strong estimate of $160,000 to $260,000, the piece sold close to reserve after previously being sold in 2020 at Waddingtons. I do like these carvings by Joe; it’s a fascinating subject.

Beau Dick, Bak’Was (Bookwus) Mask with Articulated Skeletal Figure, 2008, sold for $73,200, setting a well-deserved record for the artist’s work at auction. It had true spiritual energy that Beau was able to capture, big, dark and foreboding, with a rich red patina.

Ovlioo Tunnillie, Woman Shielding her Face, circa 2000, sold for $20,740. It is such a contemporary image, well carved, from the collection of John and Joan Price in Seattle. 

Throughout the sale, I noted many pieces were selling at the low estimate, or below. There were several passes, and some surprised me: Paula Saila, Charles Edenshaw, Bill Reid, all known and important artists. Two standout artworks that got my attention, Kenojuak Ashevak’s wonderful 1961 pencil drawing, Five Birds & One Seal and Inukjuak Artist, Hunter with Harpoon and Knife,1950, both were passed over. I hope new collectors will get involved. Some outstanding artworks are within reach. 

To conclude, it was yet another busy season, with exciting results and changes. I look forward to returning with a look at the fall auctions in a few months. ■

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

Related: Auction Report Fall 2023

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