Works by Emily Carr, Jean-Paul Riopelle and Tom Thomson sold at Heffel last week in Toronto with sales of $13.5 million, over the estimates of C$8 to C$10 million:
Emily Carr’s The Crazy Stair (The Crooked Staircase) made $3,393,000, the most ever paid at auction for a Carr painting, and the fourth most valuable piece ever sold at a Canadian art auction.
Thomas John (Tom) Thomson’s Canoe Lake (unseen since 1915) sold for nearly $1.7 million, originally expected to bring $400,000 – $600,00
Jean Paul-Riopelle works, Sans titre and Iceberg IV, exceeded expectations and went for a notable combined sale of $1,281,150
This year’s contemporary session reached more than $4.3 million in sales and the fine art session totaled at $9.2 million
Other lots worth noting in the sale:
· One of six William Kurelek pieces sold, the 1971-dated, Rink Making, achieved a notable $163,800, more than tripling its estimate of $35,000 – $45,000
· Sold for an artist record of $105,300, David Lloyd Blackwood’s Ephraim Kelloway’s White Door more than doubled its pre-auction estimate
· The first-ever Frederick Alexcee presented at a Heffel auction broke an artist record whenPole Raising at Fort Simpson, BC sold for $128,700 (est. $30,000 – $50,000)
· Bruno Joseph Bobak’s Halifax Harbour set a new Canadian auction record for a Bobak work at $18,720
· Setting a record for a William Hodd (Bill) McElcheran piece at auction, the bronze sculptureThoughtful sold for $38,025
· Jack Bush’s dynamic, contemporary piece Off Green, reached $140,400 (est. $100,000 – $150,000)
· Karlukwees, BC by W.J. Philips far surpassed the previous record of $35,000 for the sale of a print at auction, reaching $93,600, also making it an artist best
· Sir Frederick Banting, best known as the co-discoverer of insulin, has also proved to be highly regarded as a painter. His work French River sold for $58,500 (estimate $40,000 – $60,000)
· Montreal artist Jean-Paul Lemieux’s L’évêque en noir reached an impressive $351,000 and signaled the 141st sale of a Lemieux work at a Heffel auction to date
· Hochelaga by March-Aurele Fortin set a new record for the sale of a pastel, acheiving $46,800
