Tag: art auctions

  • Rare Lawren Harris Pencil Sketch Featured in Consignor Fall Live Auction

    (L to R) Lawren Harris, Lake Superior; Emily Carr, European Street Scene; Mary Pratt, Baking Bread; Michael Snow, Off Minor
    (L to R) Lawren Harris, Lake Superior; Emily Carr, European Scene; Mary Pratt, Baking Bread; Michael Snow, Off Minor

    From Charlottetown to Vancouver, Consignor’s National Travels Yield Notable Works by Emily Carr, Mary Pratt & Alex Colville to be offered on November 23rd

    (Toronto – November 1, 2017) – Behind many masterpieces, there is a sketch that formulates the artist’s ideas and vision. Consignor Canadian Fine Art announces its fall semi-annual auction highlights that will include a rare pencil sketch by Lawren Harris, the preparatory work for of one of his most renowned canvases, Lake Superior, which currently hangs in the Thomson collection in the Art Gallery of Ontario. The sketch, once owned by his wife Bess Harris, carries an auction estimate valued at $20,000 – $30,000; however, its rarity and significance as the precursor to a major canvas could challenge the record for a pencil sketch by the Group of Seven artist. It debuts on the auction block at Consignor’s live auction event taking place Thursday, November 23, 2017at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto.

    “The significance of pencil sketching to Lawren Harris is well known,” says Rob Cowley, President of Consignor. “His pad of paper and pencil were just as important as the oils and brushes he carried on sketching trips. We’re thrilled to have acquired this important piece of narrative in Harris’s creative process, particularly a sketch that is connected to one of his most renowned works. It is a stunning work and we expect lively bidding when it reaches the block on the 23rd.”

    Fellow artist and close friend of Harris, Yvonne McKague Housser quoted the below about the artist’s process in graphite:  “His drawings are a key which open the door to what he was thinking and painting… The drawings were important as an introduction, to clarify his mind before he started a painting.”

    This past summer, Consignor set out on a 10-city Art Roadshow travelling from the Maritimes to Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, Regina and Vancouver, inviting the public to consult with their specialists regarding works of art for valuation. It was during the tour that Consignor discovered some of its most unique offerings and exceptional works including the Lake Superior sketch. Other highlights from the tour, which will be offered at Consignor’s Fall Auction of Important Canadian Art include:

    Featured on the cover of the Consignor fall auction catalogue is a 1958 canvas by Michael Snow titled Off Minor, being offered for the first time at auction with an estimated value of $40,000 – $60,000. The abstract painting, which measures 60” X 36”, was privately owned by Joseph Gladstone, the brother of Toronto artist Gerald Gladstone, and has not been seen at auction until now.

    Live previews are ongoing at the Consignor Canadian Fine Art Gallery located at 326 Dundas Street W. and viewable at consignor.ca. Consignor’s Fall Live Auction of Important Canadian Art event will take place on Thursday, November 23, 7:00pm at the Gardiner Museum located at 111 Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON.

  • Un rare dessin au crayon de Lawren Harris en vedette dans le cadre de la vente automnale de Consignor Canadian Fine Art

    (Left to Right) Lawren Harris, Lake Superior (I.D. 463); Emily Carr, European Street Scene; Mary Pratt, Baking Bread; Michael Snow, Off Minor (1958)
    De gauche à droite: Harris, Lake Superior; Carr, European Scene; Pratt, Baking Bread; Snow, Off Minor

    Les œuvres d’Emily Carr, Mary Pratt et Alex Colville seront présentées aux enchères le 23 novembre

    (Toronto – le 1er novembre, 2017) Consignor Canadian Fine Art annonce sa vente aux enchères semestrielle qui inclura un rare dessin au crayon de Lawren Harris, un travail préparatoire d’une de ses toiles les plus renommées, « Lake Superior », qui est présentement affichée dans la collection Thomson au Musée des beaux-arts de l’Ontario. Le dessin, qui appartenait autrefois à son épouse Bess Harris, sera offert aux enchères avec une estimation de 20 000 $ – 30 000 $. Cependant, sa rareté et son importance en tant que précurseur d’une toile majeure pourraient remettre en question le prix record pour un dessin d’un membre du Groupe des Sept. L’œuvre sera offerte à la vente en salle, laquelle aura lieu au musée Gardiner le jeudi 23 novembre.

    « L’importance du dessin au crayon pour Lawren Harris est bien connue » dit Rob Cowley, Président de Consignor. « Il considérait son carnet de croquis et ses crayons tout aussi importants que les huiles et les pinceaux qu’il portait avec lui lors de ses excursions de peinture en plein air. Nous sommes ravis d’avoir acquis cette esquisse importante qui est liée à l’une des œuvres les plus célèbres de Harris. C’est une superbe œuvre d’art et nous prévoyons de fortes enchères la soirée du 23 ».

    Yvonne McKague Housser, amie et collègue artiste de Harris, a décrit sa technique en graphite:  « Ses dessins sont une clé qui ouvre la porte à ce qu’il pensait et peignait…Les dessins étaient importants à titre introductif, afin de clarifier son esprit avant de commencer une toile ».

    L’été dernier, Consignor s’est lancé dans une tournée d’évaluation, voyageant des Maritimes à Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, Regina et Vancouver. Les spécialistes ont invité les membres du public à amener leurs œuvres d’art à des fins d’évaluation. C’est au cours de cette tournée que Consignor a découvert certaines des œuvres les plus exceptionnelles dans le cadre de la vente de novembre, y compris le dessin du lac Supérieur.

    Points saillants de la vente en salle automnale 2017 de Consignor:

    –Emily Carr, European Street Scene, une aquarelle peinte en 1911 lors de sa formation artistique en France (estimation 150 000 $ – 175 000 $), découverte à Calgary, Alberta

    –A.J. Casson, Bridge Over Humber River, une des premières œuvres de Casson créée en plein air (estimation 20 000 $  – 30 000 $), découverte en Colombie-Britannique

    –Mary Pratt, Baking Bread, peintre célèbre des Maritimes (30 000 $ – 40 000 $); et Alex Colville, Recording Line Zero, Near Nijmegen, une aquarelle de la période de guerre (estimation 30 000 $ – 40 000 $), les deux œuvres ont tous deux étées découvertes à Saint John, Nouveau-Brunswick

    En vedette sur la page couverture du catalogue de la vente de Consignor est une toile d’huile de Michael Snow de 1958, intitulée « Off Minor ». La grande toile abstraite appartenait auparavant à Joseph Gladstone, le frère de l’artiste torontois Gerald Gladstone; elle est présentée pour la première fois aux enchères avec une valeur estimée de 40 000 $ – 60 000 $.
    Les œuvres d’art sont présentement exposées à la galerie Consignor Canadian Fine Art, au 326, rue Dundas Ouest. Pour de plus amples renseignements sur l’exposition et la vente en salle, ainsi que pour accéder au catalogue en ligne, veuillez consulter le site internet consignor.ca. La vente se tiendra le jeudi 23 novembre, au musée Gardiner (111, Queen’s Park, Toronto).

  • Rob Chats with CH Morning Live Regarding Auction Valuation & Recent Maud Lewis Auction Record

  • Carmichael Masterwork Sells for $475,000 During Spring Season

    Records Broken & New Traditions Established for Consignor This Season

    Old Orchard, a major 1940 painting by Franklin Carmichael was sold for $475,000 during the spring auction season, the highest price paid for the painter’s work in eight years and one of the highest values ever achieved for the painter’s work by an auction firm.  The price was just one of the many highlights encountered by Consignor Canadian Fine Art this spring.

    The Spring Live Auction of Important Canadian Art, held May 25th, was an evening of new traditions and continued success for Consignor, the auction establishing strong prices for historical, post-war and contemporary works of quality and rarity.  The auction was held for the first time at Toronto’s Gardiner Museum, the downtown venue filled to capacity with an electric environment of excitement palpable from the drop of the hammer on the first lot sold.  The classy and cozy setting was instantly popular with clients, paddles comfortably waving in the air throughout the night.

    Excited bidding participation came through not only in the room, but through spirited telephone and absentee bidding, pushing choice artworks well beyond expectation.  Drawing strong reaction from the room was the sale of Three Black Cats, the small oil painting by Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis fetching a record $36,800 (prices posted include applicable Buyer’s Premium), almost double the previous auction record and five times the presale estimate.  Appreciation for Atlantic Canadian artists continued with David Blackwood’s Fire Down on the Labrador selling for $48,300, doubling its estimate and marking the second highest price ever achieved for the iconic imagery created by the Newfoundlander printmaker.

    Artwork by Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven continued to excited collectors during the spring season, with notable results including: Tom Thomson’s Fallen Timber (Algonquin) selling for $125,000; Edwin Holgate’s Autumn Leaves selling for $75,000; Madawaska, a 20 x 26 inch canvas by A.Y. Jackson fetching $69,000; A.J. Casson’s captivating Old Hotel, Elora selling for $36,800 while Casson’s Byng Inlet fetched $29,900.  Works on paper by the Group saw record prices set with Lawren Harris’ Snow-Covered Trees more than doubling its estimate to reach $50,600 and A.Y. Jackson’s Gulf of St. Lawrence selling for $14,950, both auction records for works on paper by the artists.

    Further historical highlights displayed a love for portraiture from collectors this season with an enchanting Jean Paul Lemieux portrait fetching $48,300; Randolph Hewton’s Portrait of Thomas Archer Esq. selling for $14,950; and Hal Ross Perrigard’s Vere reaching $10,925, each exceeding their pre-sale estimate.

    Post-War and Contemporary Canadian works performed notably during the May 25th live auction with: Ted Harrison’s The Grecian House (Dawson City) selling for $34,500, Sorel Etrog’s “Ferrari red” Sadko fetching $27,600, Paul-Émile Borduas’ Abstract Composition watercolour reaching $21,850 and Rita Letendre’s L’Enchenteur selling for $17,250.

    The May live auction was surrounded by Consignor’s March and June Online Auctions, sales which are carefully catered not only to established collectors looking to supplement their existing collections but also to new collectors who continue to hunt for gems to create an assemblage.  Feverish online bidding led to collectors across Canada and beyond being awarded notable works of art by A.J. Casson, J.W. Beatty, Manly MacDonald, H.S. Palmer, Alan Collier, Yvonne McKague Housser, Goodridge Roberts, Jack Bush, Alex Colville, Norval Morrisseau, David Urban, Angela Leach, and Kim Dorland, among many others.

    We extend our thanks to the consignors, buyers, bidders and clients who helped to ensure another season of success for Consignor Canadian Fine Art.  Preparation has already begun for our fall sales, including the Live Auction of Important Canadian Art (to be held on November 23rd at the Gardiner Museum).  We are currently accepting consignments for the upcoming sales and our team would be delighted to meet with you in our downtown Toronto gallery or during our national travels this summer.  The summer months feature a selling exhibition in the gallery and online, allowing clients the opportunity to consider a variety of work by Canadian artists, available for immediate sale (full listing available here).

  • Rob Chats with Global Morning About the Upcoming Consignor Spring Live Auction