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 141^st 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

Heffel’s Spring Auction in Vancouver last week made $11.5 million exceeding the $7 to $10 million presale estimate. The Canadian Post-War & Contemporary Art session had sales totalling $4.7 million, while the Fine Canadian Art session totaled at $6.8 million.

• Jean-Paul Riopelle’s Composition, which sold for $1,228,500 (estimate $600,000 to $800,000); eight other works by Riopelle were personally consigned by the artist’s mistress Belle Burke. These works were given to Burke by the artist during their relationship. The Belle Burke collection drew an impressive total of $444,600.

 

• Emily Carr’s Old Timer which sold for $936,000 (estimate $400,000 to $600,000)
• Emily Carr, Cape Mudge Totem Poles (estimate: $150,000 – $250,000), which sold for $380,250
• 31 works by influential Canadian artists consigned by The Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal (PSBGM) Cultural Heritage Foundation had a combined total of $1.6 million in sales. A.Y. Jackson led the collection with his A Quebec Village (Winter, Saint-Fidèle) selling for $585,000 (estimate $500,000 – $700,000) and his Saint-Simeon, Lower St. Lawrence selling for $152,100 (estimate $90,000 to $120,000). Thoreau MacDonald’s Canadian Geese sold for $21,060 (estimate $10,000 to $15,000), breaking the record for the artist.
• Gordon Appelbe Smith was represented with five works. His Red Beach was the catalogue front cover feature this year and sold for a remarkable $93,600 surpassing the $20,000 to $30,000 estimate.
• Five works by influential B.C. artist E.J. Hughes totaled $252,720 in sales, led by his Mt. Stephen which sold for $175,500.
• Quebec modern remains highly sought after, as demonstrated by Paul-Émile Borduas’ Sans Titre from his calligraphic series, which sold for $409,500 (estimate: $100,000 to $150,000), Jean-Philippe Dallaire’s Le fonctionnaire which sold for $ 70,200, and Marcelle Ferron’s Otsatot which sold for $81,900. All three of these works were consigned from a prominent Montreal family Estate.
• Lawren Harris such as the Pic Island, Lake Superior (sold for $234,000) and Lawren Stewart Harris’ Rainstorm, Northern Lake which sold for $187,200, more than doubling the low estimate (sold for $187,200), and Tom Thomson’s Mississagi (estimate: $80,000 – $120,000) which sold for $163,800.
• Marc-Aurèle Fortin’s Vue de St-Siméon, a rare large format oil painting, which sold for $672,750 (estimate $400,000 to $600,000). Additionally, all three of the David Milne works exceeded their high estimates, commanding a total of $277,975.

Heffel.com

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.