Watch Senior Art Specialist Lydia Abbott share insight on the Group of Seven at Lake Superior
Cowley Abbott’s Spring Live Auction will feature masterworks by artists crucial to the story of Canadian art. Depictions of the northern shores of Lake Superior by the founding members of the Group of Seven will take centre stage, reflecting their travels between 1921 and 1928. Over the course of these eight years, the work of the Group members was transformed by the stunning topography and impact of nature’s power at this remarkable junction of lake and land.
The Spring Live Auction will take place in Toronto on Wednesday, May 28th, and will include artwork by celebrated historical, post-war and contemporary artists. The live auction catalogue is now available online to browse.
Franklin Carmichael Port Coldwell, Lake Superior, 1928Lawren Harris Northern Lake, 1922
A.Y. Jackson North Shore, Superior, Near Coldwell, 1923Arthur Lismer Light Breaking Through, Lake Superior, 1927
Cowley Abbott enjoyed a successful preview in Calgary sharing highlights of Select Masterworks of Canadian & International Art with new and seasoned collectors. Thank you to our hosts at Norberg Hall, our guests for attending the various events over the preview and to Canadian Art Hop for including Cowley Abbott in both Calgary and Toronto on the tour.
The auction preview will begin in our Toronto gallery on Friday, May 16th and we are eager to share the artworks with you. We have many exciting upcoming events and our specialists look forward to welcoming you over the coming weeks.
The Spring Live Auction will take place in Toronto on Wednesday, May 28th, and will include artwork by celebrated historical, post-war and contemporary artists. The live auction catalogue is now available online to browse.
Thursday, April 10 marked our first 5 à 7 event of the year and Cowley Abbott was delighted to host familiar friends and new collectors! The evening was highlighted with talks from Art Specialist Eryn Brobyn and Senior International and Canadian Specialist Perry Tung. Attendees had the opportunity to view current works up for our April online sale which includes items from the collection of Robert Noakes, Select Canadian artworks and the Art of Atlantic Canada; as well as preview artworks upcoming in our Spring Live Auction.
In our first main floor gallery, Art Specialist Eryn Brobyn spoke on the topic of provenance – the ownership history of a work of art. The group was able to see the back of an artwork with a rich provenance, evident through its artwork labels. Eryn emphasized the rich histories that can be revealed through provenance and the challenges faced in the art world of discovering provenance.
Senior International and Canadian Specialist, Perry Tung, presented on the session Past and Present: International Art from the Collection of Robert Noakes, showcasing artworks from the incredible collection of designer and avid collector Robert Noakes. Cowley Abbott is delighted to present four online auctions showcasing the breadth and depth of his collection, an opportunity not to be missed.
One of our guests, Ali Husnain, shared that “everyone was nice and welcoming and it was my first time at an event like this. There was a lot of variety in the artwork and I was especially drawn to William Kurelek, those paintings felt quintessentially Canadian!”
William Kurelek, Our First Three Homes in Canada, 1966
Thank you to all those who attended, we look forward to hosting more events this auction season. For more information on Cowley Abbott events browse our website and follow us on social media!
Cowley Abbott kicked off our first valuation days of the 2025 season in Toronto on February 12th and another on March 19th. It was at these valuation days that specialists consigned a W.J. Phillips and provided a valuation for a Joyce Weiland artwork.
From February 20th – 27th, President Rob Cowley and Senior Art Specialist Anna Holmes travelled the east coast beginning in Charlottetown, P.E.I., making stops in Halifax, Nova Scotia and ending in Fredericton, New Brunswick. During this trip our team spoke with the press, including CBC radio and tv in Charlottetown, Global and CBC in Halifax (view here), and CBC radio in Fredericton; and of course, valued incredible works of art. Rob also had the opportunity to speak to students at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia about the auction world and an important private collection.
A range of regional artists were viewed at our east coast valuation days, such as A.Y. Jackson, Mary Pratt, Frederick Arthur Verner, A.J. Casson, Maud Lewis, Molly Lamb Bobak. International artist highlights included a work by Pablo Picasso. We were also entrusted with some incredible consignments, including a canvas by Yves Gaucher and a canvas by Fern Coppedge which will both be offered in our upcoming live auction.
Also while on the East Coast Rob had the opportunity to speak with students from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia about the auction market and an important private collection.
On April 3rd, our valuation day was hosted by The Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Kingston, Ontario, where Rob Cowley gave a talk on “Artwork Tales”. This talk focused on exciting highlights sold at Cowley Abbott such as Ukrainian Proverb by William Kurelek, Algoma (Algoma Sketch 48) by Lawren Harris and DHead XLVI by David Bowie.
Rob also discussed the amazing results from the Private Collection auctions in 2023/2024 and highlighted the Joyce Putnam Bequest of paintings that the Agnes Etherington Art Centre has in their collection, which consisted primarily of Group of Seven works. It was a valuation day to remember and a huge thank you to all who joined the talk!
Our April 6th Valuation day saw Canadian Art Specialist Eryn Brobyn and Senior Canadian & International Art Specialist Perry Tung travel to the Art Gallery of Hamilton where they were delighted to value works by Andy Warhol, Alexandra Luke, and Tom Hodgson.
Our firm looks forward to the valuation days of this upcoming season, including a visit to Niagara on the Lake at The Riverbrink Museum on April 25. We thank everyone for their participation in our valuation days.
For more information on valuation days and upcoming events visit cowleyabbott.ca and follow us on social media!
Rob Cowley visits CTV Vancouver to chat with Keri Adams about Cowley Abbott’s national valuation tour and the events being held in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary and Edmonton.
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