Category: Charity Auctions

  • Cowley Abbott wishes you a very Happy Valentine’s Day! Here’s a look at prominent couples in art, who flourished together in both romance and creativity

    In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Cowley Abbott profiles a selection of some of our favourite artist couples. These artists shared a personal chemistry which helped form the background of their lifelong artistic pursuits.

    Kosso Eloul & Rita Lentendre
    Photo Credit: David Cooper, 1987, https://digitalarchive.tpl.ca/objects/257222

    Painter Rita Letendre met Kosso Eloul while travelling in Italy in 1962. The couple married two years later, moving between Los Angeles and New York before settling together in Toronto in 1969. The two shared many fundamental artistic ideas, and their respective predilection for geometric abstraction both contrasts and compliments the other in interesting ways.

    Rita Letendre, Untitled
    Price Realized: $28,800
    Kosso Eloul, Maquette for ‘Zen-West’
    Price Realized: $6,000
    Françoise Sullivan, Danse dans la neige, 1948, Performance
    Photo Credit: photographie de Maurice Perron
    Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Québec
    https://www.aci-iac.ca/fr/livres-dart/francoise-sullivan/oeuvres-phares/danse-dans-le-neige/

    When Paterson Ewen met Françoise Sullivan in 1949, their relationship formed the basis of a fruitful creative exchange. Sullivan was a member of the influential group Les Automatistes, and introduced Ewen to an entirely new milieu. Ewen’s artistic development was deeply impacted by the Quebec group’s experimental abstraction.

    Paterson Ewen, Untitled
    Price Realized: $20,400
    Joan Mitchell and Jean Paul Riopelle in Chicago, about 1957
    Photo Credit: Anonymous Photographer; Yseult Riopelle Archives
    https://ago.ca/events/joan-mitchell-and-jean-paul-riopelle-creativity-and-collaboration

    Over the course of a 24-year relationship, Joan Mitchell and Jean Paul Riopelle lived and painted together. The two influential painters sustained a rich exchange of creative ideas, sharing their deep commitment to their art. As documented in the Art Gallery of Ontario’s 2018 exhibition Mitchell/Riopelle: Nothing in Moderation, similar formal and intellectual concerns become clear when viewing the work of both artists side by side. 

    Jean Paul Riopelle, Sans titre (circa 1959)
    Price Realized: $504,000
    Josef and Anni Albers
    Photo Credit: The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, https://albersfoundation.org/artists/biographies/

    Among the most notable artist couples of the 20th century are Josef and Anni Albers. The two met in 1922 during the heyday of the Bauhaus art and design school in Weimar, Germany. In 1925, they married in Berlin. Following the closure of the school in 1933, the couple fled Nazi rule and resumed their careers at the Black Mountain College in North Carolina. The Albers’ extraordinary union fueled

    one another’s creativity, each developing into leading figures of twentieth-century modernism. Josef and Anni Albers were married for 51 years.

    Josef Albers, I-S f (Danilowitz 195)
    Price Realized: $10,320

    Romantic partnerships can form the basis of a dynamic, fruitful exchange of ideas, artistic concerns and formal practices. Cowley Abbott invites you to watch for the works of these art power-couples, along with many more, featured in our upcoming auctions.

  • An Exciting Selection of Prints, Photography & Multiples begins the Fall Auction Season

    The Prints, Photography and Multiples auction has been an extremely enjoyable sale to put together.  We started to curate the sale just after the close of the International Art auction in June and one of the early consignments was Brice Marden’s Ten Days Portfolio (lot 27). The eight etchings and aquatints in this portfolio were inspired by Marden’s travels in Greece.  Often described as a minimalist, these have the same characteristics of his larger works: rectangular formats and a subdued palette, only here on a more intimate level. The provenance is excellent, having been purchased in Toronto and remaining in the same private collection.

    Ten Days (Portfolio of 8) (Lewison 20) by Brice Marden
    Auction Estimate: $60,000-80,000h

    Our Senior International Art Specialist had the privilege of spending the afternoon with Christo and Jeanne-Claude in their studio in New York just after The Gates Project in Central Park had been realized in 2005. You realize the amount of work that goes into Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s projects, as some of the projects are not realized for several years.  When we got an email with images of the lithograph, Arc de Triompe Wrapped (A Project for Paris), we were very excited about having this work consigned. This is from the publisher’s edition of 20. Arc de Triompe Wrapped (A Project for Paris) was issued in an edition of 150 (lot 44). It is even more meaningful as the project is finally being realized in Paris.  From September 18 to October 3rd the Arc De Triomphe will be wrapped.  Here is the link for the live stream on their website.

    Arc De Triomphe Wrapped (Project for Paris) (Schellman 144) by Christo and Jeanne-Claude
    Auction Estimate: $12,000-16,000

    There is a fantastic selection of photography in the sale, including the iconic portrait of Winston Churchill by Yosuf Karsh (lot 64), an interesting series by Yuri Dojc titled the Last Folio (lot 7), which documents the preserved history in a school in Slovakia before World War II, as well as wonderful portraits by Arnold Newman of Pablo Picasso (lot 20), Georgia O’Keefe (lot 19) and Max Ernst (lot 18). The Max Ernst portrait is remarkable. The story behind the work, is that Ernst was drawing a lot of birds at this point in his career and when he saw the portrait, he was very excited, as just beside his face the plumes of smoke suggest the image of a bird.

    Winston Churchill by Yousuf Karsh
    Auction Estimate: $8,000-10,000
    The Last Folio Series (8) by Yuri Dojc
    Auction Estimate: $6,000-8,000
    Pablo Picasso, Vallauris, France by Arnold Newman
    Auction Estimate: $2,000-3,000
    Georgia O’Keefe, Outside of Ghost Ranch by Arnold Newman
    Auction Estimate: $2,000-3,000
    Max Ernst by Arnold Newman
    Auction Estimate: $800-1,200

    There are three very special lots that begin the auction, introducing our partnership with Casey House, a hospital in Toronto which specializes in HIV/AIDS care. American photographer Cara Barer starts the auction with a striking work entitled, Heart (lot 1). Characteristic of her manipulation of books into sculptural objects, this work attracted lots of interest as the previews commenced. Vancouver artist Damian Moppett’s playful image of pieces of Lego and a balloon constructs an interesting juxtaposition between the hard and soft qualities of these objects (lot 2). David Burdeny’s striking image, Sweepers, West Lake, Hangzhou China continues his exploration of Asia and its landscape (lot 3).

    Heart by Cara Barer
    Auction Estimate: $800-1,200
    Untitled (B&W Lego Pcs-Rubber Band) by Damian Moppett
    Auction Estimate: $1,000-1,500
    Sweepers, West Lake, Hangzhou, China by David Burdeny
    Auction Estimate: $1,500-2,000

    We are extremely pleased to partner with Casey House in offering these lots. All proceeds from their sale will benefit Casey House Ontario’s HIV/Aids Hospital. We hope there will be many more donations of fine art that we will be able to offer through our sales. As well, we very much look forward to hosting the Art with Heart Preview for Casey House this year and broadcasting the auction live from the Cowley Abbott gallery on Tuesday, October 19th.

  • Eye-catching and Significant Artwork With Appeal For All Collectors Featured in Consignor Fall Auction

    Consignor Offers Selection with the Diversity of Today’s Collectors in Mind

    (Toronto – November 9, 2015) – This November, Consignor Canadian Fine Art offers exceptional examples of Canadian art for emerging and seasoned collectors alike. Consignor’s specialists have carefully selected artworks that, together, compose an auction that caters to the interests of a diverse group of collectors. The fall auction includes a range of styles and periods, from landscapes by the Group of Seven, John William Beatty, and Frederick Loveroff, to modern abstracts by Jean Paul Riopelle and Gershon Iskowitz, and a compelling sculpture by acclaimed prairie artist Ivan Eyre. More than 120 artworks will be open for bidding online between November 18 and 25, 2015.

    Previews for the November auction are unparalleled in the industry, lasting several weeks leading to the bidding’s close online at www.consignor.ca. Consignor’s innovative model is ideal for emerging collectors who are still familiarizing themselves with an artist’s work and navigating their own interests as they learn. Because of the extensive duration of the auction preview, collectors can return to the gallery space at 326 Dundas Street West several times to view the artwork, speak with a specialist, and get comfortable with the auction process. President and Art Specialist, Rob Cowley, explains, “Our clients enjoy an inviting auction experience which includes the personalized service of our extended preview time and the convenience of online bidding. This season we also have the pleasure of ameliorating the bidding process by pushing the close to 7:00pm, giving our clients the space to conveniently view the auction and bid in comfort.”

    Auction highlights include Gershon Iskowitz’s Violet – A, the 1979 canvas estimated to fetch between $20,000 and $30,000. Blues, purples, greens and yellow radiate from this lively abstract painting, capturing the essence of the artist’s most celebrated style. Another Canadian giant on offer is Jean Paul Riopelle, with four artworks available, including a stimulating oval shaped canvas, Sans titre (PM16). Thickly painted in the style for which he is most recognized, Sans titre (PM16) is estimated between $30,000 and $40,000.

    For collectors interested in more historical artwork, a rare large oil on canvas by Frederick Loveroff entitled The Portage ($20,000 – $30,000) depicts a landscape typical of his Group of Seven contemporaries, yet distinct in its human presence. Portaging was a physically demanding but essential method of transportation for artists during the first half of the twentieth century who wished to experience the rugged Canadian wilderness. Loveroff’s depiction is a rarely seen perspective in historical paintings from this time.

    Three contemplative artworks by celebrated prairie artist William Kurelek round out this season’s offerings. To My Father’s Village ($10,000 – $15,000) commemorates a significant moment in the artist’s life as he travelled to his father’s village in the Ukraine soon before he passed away. Kurelek had a deep and complex relationship with his father and, as a first generation Canadian, Kurelek felt compelled to visually explore his family’s roots and his generation’s immigrant stories in the prairies and in Toronto.

  • Kurelek Painting Given As Thanks For Apple Strudel Now In Auction

    Ukranian ProverbTORONTO (Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press – November 20th, 2014)  A wintry William Kurelek painting the artist gave to a late Toronto woman as thanks for her delicious homemade apple strudel and jam could result in a windfall for her daughter at an online auction.  Consignor Canadian Fine Art’s fall sale that opened for bidding on its website Wednesday and runs through Nov. 28 has a pre-sale estimate of $15,000-$20,000 on the work entitled Ukrainian Proverb.

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  • Rob Acts as Auctioneer for ORT Auction

    Rob regularly donates his time to conduct auctions for charitable purposes.  Below is a video of Rob acting as auctioneer for this year’s ORT Art Auction at Toronto’s TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning.