HEFFEL’S 2012 FALL AUCTION REACHES $11.5 MILLION IN SALES
LAWREN HARRIS’ HURDY GURDY LEADS THE WAY SELLING FOR $1,082,250
EMILY CARR’S WORKS ACHIEVED $2,180,000
Canadian Post-War & Contemporary Art
- ‘King of the Mountain’ by William Kurelek sold for $380,250 (estimated value was $250-$350,000)
- ‘West Coast 2/06: Dawn, Pacific Ocean, at Brooks Peninsula’ by Takao Tanabe sold for $76,050 (estimated value was $20-$30,000)
- ‘Guardian Spirit of Owl’ by Jack Shadbolt sold for $163,800 (estimated value was $40-$60,000)
Fine Canadian Art
- ‘Skating’ by Henry Sandhan sold for $32,175 (estimated value was $10-$15,000)
- ‘Snowed In’ by Franz Johnston sold for $128,700 (estimated value was $60-$80,000) for a tempera
- ‘Cabstand, Winter, Dominion Square, Montreal’ by Peter Clapham Sheppard sold for $49,725 (estimated value $20-$30,000)
- ‘Mrs.Ingeborg’ by Paraskeva Clark sold for $49,725 (estimated value $15- $25,000)
- ‘Frivolous September, Up the Gorge (Blue Sky and Forest)’ by Emily Carr sold for $643,500 (estimated $200-250,000) for oil on paper
Group of Seven member, Lawren Harris’ Hurdy Gurdy was one of the most anticipated lots of the evening. A depiction of Toronto’s Ward district, it was said to be among the artist’s most prized paintings, and the painting he chose to give to his only daughter. The selling price of $1,082,250 far exceeded the estimate price of $400 – $600,000 after an exciting bidding war.
The auction featured seven extraordinary works by Emily Carr, including ‘Frivolous September, Up the Gorge (Blue Sky and Forest)’ which sold for $643,500. ‘Alert Bay,’ which sold for $702,000 against an estimate of $200-$300,000 and ‘Skidegate,’ which sold for $585,000. In total, the seven works by Carr sold for $2.18M. Heffel is the undisputed leader in sales of Emily Carr having sold nine of the top-ten priced works by this artist.
William Kurelek’s ‘King of the Mountain’ drew a great deal of national and international attention. Estimated at between $250 – $350,000, it sold for a record $380,250. This is a significant year for Kurelek who is the subject of a major travelling retrospective, a new coffee table book and will be seen in the upcoming re-release of the documentary film, William Kurelek’s The Maze.
A.Y. Jackson’s highly anticipated ‘Radium Mine’ sold for $643,500, which was more than double the estimate of $200 – $300,000. The sale of this important painting was entrusted to Heffel by the famed mining family of Gilbert A. Labine.
Tonight’s sales result of $11.5 million is well beyond the $7 to $10 million presale estimate.