We are pleased to share Cowley Abbott’s Spring Live Auction catalogues, featuring Important Canadian & International Artwork (Session 1) and An Important Private Collection of Canadian Art (Session 2).
It is our privilege to continue to introduce Canadian artwork from the Important Private Collection to the auction market. Following the record-breaking success of the December 2022 first session from the collection, this next offering is another landmark sale which includes a selection of rare and remarkable historical artwork, most of which will be making its auction debut with Cowley Abbott this spring.
The first session features rare and important artwork from Canadian and international artists with masterpieces debuting at auction from cherished private, public and corporate collections.
Please join us in Toronto beginning May 8th to view these important artworks and gain insight on these masterworks ahead of the June 8th live auction at Toronto’s Globe & Mail Centre.
WAG-Qaumajuq Announces Sale to Build Endowment Fund for Contemporary Art
Acquisition funds raised will support more diverse representation in the permanent collection
Winnipeg, Manitoba, April 20, 2023:The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq announced today details of a new endowment fund for art acquisitions to support more diverse representation in the permanent collection, beginning with contemporary Indigenous art. To help build the endowment, WAG-Qaumajuq has identified artworks from the collection where there is considerable depth and representation of the artist and field, or where the artwork is no longer aligned with the strategic direction of the Gallery’s collections policy.
To establish initial funds for
the endowment, WAG-Qaumajuq has deaccessioned four colour screen prints of Queen Elizabeth II from
Andy Warhol’s Reigning Queens series. These artworks being offered at auction were selected
by the WAG-Qaumajuq curatorial team and the directorate, in collaboration with
the Works of Art Committee and WAG-Qaumajuq Board of Directors, following an
extensive evaluation of the Gallery’s permanent collection. Funds raised for the endowment will support the Gallery’s interest in continuing to
build a more diverse and equitable collection, particularly in the areas of contemporary
Indigenous and Canadian art. The works will be sold by Cowley Abbott Auctioneers
this June through public auction. Cowley Abbott will donate their selling commission to
the WAG-Qaumajuq endowment fund as part of the sale.
WAG-Qaumajuq,
one of the oldest civic art museums in Canada, holds notable collections of
European and Canadian art spanning over five centuries, with strong
representation in 15th and 16th-century Northern European
painting, 19th and 20th-century British art, German
Expressionism, and Canadian art in all media and periods. In addition to the
collections of painting, sculpture, and works on paper, WAG-Qaumajuq has
extensive holdings in British, Canadian, and French decorative arts. The
Gallery also holds the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in
the world, now housed in Qaumajuq, the new Inuit art centre.
Quick Facts:
WAG-Qaumajuq announces the deaccessioning of four artworks to raise funds for an endowment to support more diverse representation in the permanent collection, beginning with contemporary Indigenous art.
These artworks were selected by the WAG-Qaumajuq curatorial team and the directorate, in collaboration with the Works of Art Committee, and supported by the WAG-Qaumajuq Board of Directors, following an extensive evaluation of the Gallery’s permanent collection.
The works will be sold by Cowley Abbott Auctioneers this summer through public auction.
WAG-Qaumajuq holds notable collections of European and Canadian art spanning over five centuries, with strong representation in 15th and 16th-century Northern European painting, 19th and 20th-century British art, German Expressionism, and Canadian art in all media and periods.
WAG-Qaumajuq has extensive holdings in British, Canadian, and French decorative arts. The Gallery also holds the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world, now housed in Qaumajuq, the new Inuit art centre.
Andy Warhol’s Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, from Reigning Queens (1985) will be featured as part of the two-session Cowley Abbott Spring Live Auction on Thursday, June 8th at Toronto’s Globe & Mail Centre, subject to a pre-sale auction estimate of $700,000-900,000 CAD.
Warhol’s Queen Elizabeth II prints are highly coveted and particularly rare to find offered as a complete set. This set of four silkscreens was assembled by a collector through two separate purchases before being donated to WAG-Qaumajuq.
Previewing of the auction will take place in Montreal (April 27th to 29th) and Toronto (May 8th to June 8th) in the weeks leading up to the auction.
“With the
opening of Qaumajuq, the Gallery has been more focused than ever on building an
organization that is welcoming to everyone and more representative of our
entire community. The important work of reconciliation and equity throughout
the organization, includes the ongoing development and strengthening of the
permanent collection. The initiative to establish a new endowed fund for the
acquisition of contemporary Indigenous and Canadian art will allow us to reach
more people and communities through the presentation and engagement with art
and artmaking. As we make meaningful
strides in creating a more equitable and representative collection, we hope to
inspire and inform audiences in real and tangible ways.”
— Dr. Stephen Borys, Director & CEO,
WAG-Qaumajuq
“The
WAG-Qaumajuq Board of Trustees is supportive of the Gallery’s commitment to
continue building and refining the permanent collection so that it reaches and
connects with more people and audiences. To support the vision for the Gallery,
we need to continue to allocate the necessary resources; and this endowment
will ensure that the future of the WAG-Qaumajuq permanent collection will better
reflect the community that it serves.”
— Lewis Rosenberg, Works of Art Committee Chair
“We are privileged to have the opportunity to offer
this rare set of Warhol Queen Elizabeth prints to benefit this important
endowment fund and are delighted to donate our selling commission as further
support of the initiative. We very much look forward to sharing these works with
clients internationally towards the live auction in June.”
— Rob Cowley, President, Cowley Abbott
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Hanna Waswa Public Relations Officer Winnipeg Art Gallery 204.789.1295 hwaswa@wag.ca
The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq is a cultural advocate using art to connect, inspire, and inform. Playing a dynamic role in the community, we are a place for learning, dialogue, and enjoyment through art. Opened in March 2021, Qaumajuq connects to the WAG on all levels, celebrating the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world. The new WAG-Qaumajuq cultural campus is now one of the largest art museums in Canada. To learn more visit wag.ca.
About Cowley Abbott: Since its inception in 2013, Cowley Abbott’s live and online
auctions have included headline-grabbing works that have regularly smashed
auction records. Cowley Abbott has rapidly grown to be a leader in today’s
competitive Canadian auction industry, with two galleries in downtown Toronto
and representatives across Canada. Cowley Abbott’s effective set of services
marry the traditional methods of promoting artwork with technology and
innovative means to connect collectors with artwork of rarity and quality.
On the 50th anniversary of Picasso’s death, we wish to commemorate the legacy of the Spanish artist, known as the founder of modern art, by presenting one of the highlights of our upcoming Spring Live Auction.
Pablo
Picasso began creating ceramic works in the late 1940s. At the time, he was
spending his summers in the Côte d’Azur, and in 1946 he visited Vallauris for
the annual pottery exhibition. The small coastal town was known for its
ceramics, and Picasso was particularly impressed by the quality of the works
from the Atelier Madoura.
He
was introduced to the owners, Suzanne and Georges Ramié, who welcomed him into
his workshop and provided him with all the tools so he could experiment in
ceramics himself. In exchange for this service, the Ramiés would produce and
sell Picasso’s work. This collaboration would span twenty-five years.
The
artist enjoyed working with clay, which he felt was a relaxing change from
painting. Picasso began with plates and bowls, then experimented with pitchers
and vases, all with creative and playful subject matter such as animals and
Greek mythological figures.
In
Visage de femme, dating to 1953, the
artist has incised a woman’s face with wavy hair in an oval platter. The clean,
fluid lines of the facial features recall Picasso’s line drawings as well as
his remarkable ability to create a big impact with a very simple design. The
elongated rectangle down the woman’s nose adds an element of Cubism to the
otherwise curvilinear portrait.
Picasso’s
experience at the Atelier Madoura was also a success on a personal level, as he
met Jacqueline Roque in 1953, who would become his second wife in 1961.
Visage de femme will make its auction debut with Cowley Abbott during the Spring Live Auction of Important Canadian and International Art on June 8th at the Globe and Mail Centre.
Pablo Picasso “Visage de femme” (A.R. 220), 1953 glazed and partially incised earthenware with coloured engobe platter 15.25 x 11.5 x 1 ins Estimate: $40,000 – $60,000
In recognition of International Women’s Month, Cowley Abbott is holding a special auction dedicated to prestigious female artists. Celebrating Women Artists is open for bidding from March 7th to 21st and includes artworks by Maud Lewis, Molly Lamb Bobak, Nora Collyer, Doris McCarthy and many, many more!
Take a look at the catalogue here: https://cowleyabbott.ca/items and make sure to visit Cowley Abbott at 326 Dundas St. West to view these artworks in-person!
Cheers to the fabulous women of Cowley Abbott! Happy International Women’s month!
