Tag: dundas west

  • William Kurelek Masterpiece makes its Auction Debut at Consignor Spring Sale

    A stunning Emily Carr landscape; a 22-karat gold sculpture by renowned Haida artist Bill Reid and a enchanting canvas by trailblazer Daphne Odjig among highlights of Consignor’s Live Spring Auction, taking place May 29th in Toronto

    April 23, 2018 (Toronto, ON) – Consignor Canadian Fine Art will be shining a celebratory spotlight on Canada’s diversity in its upcoming Spring Live Auction of Important Canadian Art on Tuesday, May 29 at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto. The auction debut of William Kurelek’s enduring masterpiece, Hot Day in Kensington Market (1972), is among the exemplary works on offer that reflect Canada’s unique multicultural communities from coast to coast.

    Kurelek’s scene of Toronto’s bustling Kensington Market in the ‘70s depicts various nationalities of the people in the crowds to the local businesses including a Hungarian bakery, Jewish butcher shop and Portuguese fish market. The painting, still in its original frame (crafted by the artist), was one of 21 works by Kurelek that was part of an acclaimed exhibition, Toronto, which the artist described as ‘depicting the soul of the city.’ Although multiple paintings from the series have appeared at auction over the years, this will be the first time that Hot Day in Kensington Market will hit the auction block (auction estimate valued at $150,000 – $200,000).

    “William Kurelek is one of Canada’s most celebrated artists and storytellers, beloved for his whimsical and charming themes ranging from his childhood memories of being raised on a Manitoba farm to his well-known Toronto series,” said Rob Cowley, President of Consignor. “Hot Day in Kensington Market is one of the most popular and appealing of his Toronto scenes, and it is regarded as a significant work by Kurelek collectors, presenting the painter’s unique narrative, celebrating Canadian identity, multiculturalism and the city he loved on a sweltering summer day.”

    Consignor’s Spring auction will also feature two exceptional works from internationally acclaimed artists and Indigenous art vanguards, Daphne Odjig and Bill Reid. Odjig was the driving force behind the Professional Native Indian Artists Association, colloquially known at the time as the ‘Indian Group of Seven,’ and was integral in bringing the profile of Native art and artists to the mainstream foreground. Odjig’s Family Ties, a 36” X 34” acrylic on canvas painted in 1981, has never been offered at auction, coming to the block from a corporate Canadian collection (auction estimate of $30,000 – $40,000).

    Haida artist Bill Reid was considered the unofficial eighth member of the artists group founded by Odjig. He made his mark as a sculptor, renowned for his monumental works depicting Haida art and life. Reid is widely credited with the innovative revitalization of Northwest Coast Native arts and has created jewellery, sculpture and art on various mediums from cedar to jade and precious metals. A striking and rare 22-karat miniature gold sculpture, Chief of the Undersea World (estimated value of $125,000 – $175,000) was carved during the production period of the 18-ft bronze killer whale monument outside of the Vancouver Aquarium. It will be the first gold edition of his iconic killer whale carvings to be offered at auction.

    Other notable Canadian works of art that will be highlighted in Consignor’s live Spring auction include:

    • Emily Carr, Logged Land, 23” x 34.75” oil on paper on canvas support (auction estimate of $275,000 – $325,000)
    • A.Y. Jackson, Ruisseau Jureux, 1931 oil on canvas painting (auction estimate of $125,000 – $175,000)
    • Marcelle Ferron, Sans titre, a major figure in the Quebec contemporary arts scene (auction estimate of $30,000 – $40,000)
    • Jean McEwen, Les Fiançailles No. 5, a large-scale  canvas by Montreal abstract master (estimate $25,000 – $35,000)

    Live previews begin May 1st at the Consignor Canadian Fine Art Gallery located at 326 Dundas Street W. and the auction is currently viewable at consignor.ca. Consignor’s Spring Live Auction of Important Canadian Art will take place on Tuesday, May 29 (7pm) at the Gardiner Museum located at 111 Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON.

  • Un chef-d’œuvre de William Kurelek fait ses débuts aux enchères chez Consignor

    Un paysage magnifique d’Emily Carr, une sculpture en or de 22 carats par le célèbre artiste Haïda Bill Reid et une toile enchanteresse de Daphne Odjig, sont parmi les points saillants de la vente aux enchères de Consignor, laquelle aura lieu le 29 mai à Toronto.

    Consignor Canadian Fine Art soulignera la diversité du Canada lors de la prochaine vente en salle semestrielle qui aura lieu le mardi 29 mai au musée Gardiner à Toronto. Le chef-d’œuvre de William Kurelek, Hot Day in Kensington Market (1972), figure parmi les œuvres exemplaires qui reflètent le multiculturalisme du Canada d’un océan à l’autre.

    La scène animée de Kurelek au marché Kensington à Toronto durant les années 70 représente diverses nationalités parmi les commerces locaux, y compris une boulangerie hongroise, une boucherie juive et un marché aux poissons portugais. Le tableau, toujours dans son cadre original (conçu par l’artiste), était l’une des 21 œuvres de Kurelek qui faisaient partie d’une exposition acclamée, « Toronto », que l’artiste décrit comme « représentant l’âme de la ville ». Bien que de nombreux tableaux de la série aient étés présentés aux enchères au cours des années, ce sera la première fois que Hot Day in Kensington Market sera sur le marché d’enchères (estimation de 150 000 $ – 200 000 $).

    « William Kurelek est l’un des artistes et conteurs les plus célèbres du Canada, bien-aimé pour ses thèmes fantaisistes et charmants, allant de ses souvenirs d’enfance dans une ferme au Manitoba à sa série bien connue de Toronto », dit Rob Cowley, président de Consignor. « Hot Day in Kensington Market est l’une des scènes représentant Toronto les plus populaires et les plus attrayantes, et il est considéré comme un travail important par les collectionneurs de Kurelek, célébrant l’identité canadienne, le multiculturalisme et la ville que l’artiste adorait, lors d’une chaude journée d’été ».

    La vente aux enchères du printemps de Consignor présentera également deux œuvres exceptionnelles d’artistes de renommée internationale et avant-gardistes de l’art autochtone, Daphne Odjig et Bill Reid. Odjig était la force motrice du groupe « The Professional Native Indian Artists Association », familièrement connue à l’époque sous le nom de « The Indian Group of Seven », et a contribué à faire connaître l’art autochtone au premier plan. Family Ties d’Odjig, une acrylique sur toile de 36” X 34″ peinte en 1981, n’a jamais été offerte aux enchères, venant d’une collection d’entreprise canadienne (estimation de 30 000 $ – 40 000 $).

    L’artiste Haïda Bill Reid était considéré comme le huitième membre non officiel du groupe d’artistes fondé par Odjig. Il a fait sa marque en tant que sculpteur, réputé pour ses œuvres monumentales représentant l’art et la vie Haïda. Reid est largement reconnu pour la revitalisation des arts autochtones de la côte du Nord-Ouest; il a créé des bijoux, de la sculpture de divers médiums, y compris du cèdre, du jade et de métaux précieux. Une sculpture rare en or de 22 carats, « Chief of the Undersea World » (valeur estimée de 125 000 $ à 175 000 $) a été sculptée pendant la période de production du monument de 18 pi en bronze à l’extérieur de l’aquarium de Vancouver. Ce sera la première édition en or de ses sculptures emblématiques d’orques à être offerte aux enchères.

    D’autres points saillants de la vente en salle du printemps 2018 de Consignor:

    • Emily Carr, Logged Land, 23” x 34.75” huile sur papier montée sur toile (estimation 275 000 $ – 325 000 $)

    • A.Y. Jackson, Ruisseau Jureux, 1931 huile sur toile (estimation 125 000 $ – 175 000 $)

    • Marcelle Ferron, Sans titre, une figure majeure de la scène artistique québécoise (estimation 30 000 $ – 40 000 $)

    • Jean McEwen, Les Fiançailles No. 5, une toile à grande échelle par un maître peintre Montréalais (estimation 25 000 $ – 35 000 $)

    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 mardi 29 mai, au musée Gardiner (111, Queen’s Park, Toronto).

  • Important Sketch by J.E.H. MacDonald Marks Early Example of Budding Friendship with Lawren Harris

    Tom Thomson, Jean Paul Riopelle, and a well-known work by Jock MacDonald Featured at Consignor’s Fall Live Auction on November 22nd

    (Toronto – November 7, 2016) – Following Consignor Canadian Fine Art’s highly successful live auction debut in May 2016 (that included a record-breaking sale of Lawren Harris’s Algoma Sketch 48), the auction house launches its second live auction event featuring an exciting catalogue of important Canadian works, to be held at the historic Berkeley Church in downtown Toronto on November 22, 2016. A 1912 sketch by founding Group of Seven member and one of Canada’s most celebrated painters, J.E.H. MacDonald, Tracks and Traffic (auction estimate: $200,000 to $250,000), will anchor the auction.

    Tracks and Traffic is a sketch of the well-known canvas that is currently part of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s (AGO) collection, and was recently included in the Toronto showing of the Steve Martin-curated exhibition, The Idea of North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris. The work provides a glimpse of what the city of Toronto looked like over a century ago, and depicts a scene of the harbourfront neighbourhood at the intersection of Bathurst Street and Front Street during the industrial period.

    It is well known that MacDonald was one of Lawren Harris’s closest friends and the pair often painted together in Toronto. Tracks and Traffic was created just months after the two artists met in late 1911, and eight years before the formation of the Group of Seven. Harris also sketched this scene from another angle, suggesting that the friends could have been together during the painting expedition. If so, the sketch would mark one of the very first examples of members of the Group of Seven painting together.

    “We’re thrilled to follow up on the success of our inaugural live auction, with a strong offering of exemplary artworks by many of Canada’s most beloved artists,” said Rob Cowley, President of Consignor Canadian Fine Art. “The fall catalogue features many artworks hitting the auction block for the first time and we anticipate there will be a great appetite for these works among collectors.”

    Auction Debuts and Highlights:

    • DEBUT – An important canvas by Painters Eleven founding member Jock MacDonald, Daybreak from his Modality series (auction estimate: $70,000 to $90,000)
    • 1962 canvas by internationally celebrated Quebec painter, Jean Paul Riopelle, Forteresse (auction estimate: $140,000 to $180,000)
    • 1912 painting by Tom Thomson, Country Landscape with Stream (Huntsville) (auction estimate: $90,000 to $120,000)
    • DEBUT – Two works by Group of Seven member Franklin Carmichael, owned by a descendent of the artist. Bracken, Lansing oil on panel (auction estimate: $60,000 to $80,000); and a Carmichael watercolour, Forest Landscape (auction estimate: $40,000 to $60,000)
    • A large-scale painting by artist Ted Harrison, who passed away in 2015, The Grecian House (auction estimate: $45,000 to $60,000)
    • Several notable works by William Kurelek including the mixed media painting, Russian Thistles Migrating (auction estimate: $60,000 to $80,000); and Candy Floss Clouds, painted the year of his death (auction estimate: $30,000 to $40,000)
    • DEBUT – A charming 1907 painting of a mother and child by J.E.H. MacDonald titled A Hill Path, High Park (auction estimate: $20,000 to $30,000). The painting is believed to have been a gift from MacDonald to Albert H. Robson, a Canadian art author, historian and former VP of the Art Gallery of Toronto (now the AGO) more than a century ago. The painting, owned by the family of Albert H. Robson, is offered for sale for the first time. 
    • Four paintings by Group of Seven member A.J. Casson including Lumber Mill, 1935 (auction estimate: $35,000 to $45,000)
    • A large-scale work from Harold Town’s highly acclaimed Tyranny of the Corner series, the Hypothesis Set (auction estimate: $20,000 to $30,000)

    To preview the full catalogue online, go to www.consignor.ca. Live previews will take place until November 21 at the Consignor Canadian Fine Art Gallery located at 326 Dundas Street West. Consignor’s Fall Auction of Important Canadian Art will be held on Tuesday, November 22, 7:00 pm at the Berkeley Church, located at 315 Queen St. E. in Toronto, ON.

    Since its inception in 2013, Consignor’s auctions have included headline-grabbing and record-breaking works including Algoma Sketch 48, a rare Lawren Harris preparatory oil sketch that debuted on the auction block at Consignor’s inaugural live auction event in May 2016 and set the record for the highest-selling Algoma sketch ($977,500) by the artist at auction. Other highlights include a 100-year-old Tom Thomson portrait (Daydreaming, sold for $172,500) and an undiscovered William Kurelek (Ukrainian Proverb, sold for $41,400, well above its estimated value). Consignor’s offering of Jack Bush’s Summer Lake broke online auction records in May 2014 for the most expensive painting by a Canadian artist to be sold at an online auction ($310,500), and its June 2014 auction saw eight artists’ records broken.

    Consignor is also holding an online December Auction of Artwork, from December 7-14, 2016. Consignor offers all-inclusive selling commissions and the lowest Buyer’s Premium in the industry. Those interested in consignment can arrange a complimentary and confidential consultation by contacting Consignor’s specialists at 1-866-931-8415 or info@cowleyabbott.ca. Consignor is currently accepting artwork for inclusion in its Spring 2017 auctions.

    Consignor Canadian Fine Art is a partnership between art auction veterans Rob Cowley, Lydia Abbott and Ryan Mayberry (Partner at Mayberry Fine Art and Founder of Consignor.ca). Cowley and Abbott became principals in the venture with Ryan Mayberry, taking Consignor.ca from its original form, as a branch of Mayberry Fine Art, to a separate company focusing on auctions of Canadian art.

  • Important Harris Painting Resurfaces on the Art Market After Nearly 80 Years

    Lawren Harris, Algoma (Algoma Sketch 48)Harris Among Important Canadian Artists Highlighted in First-Ever Live Auction Event for Consignor Canadian Fine Art on May 31, 2016

    (Toronto – March 31, 2016) – An exceptional Lawren Harris oil sketch that was recently discovered in a private collection half way across the globe in Australia, will debut on the auction block nearly 80 years since it was first acquired from a Toronto gallery in 1940.  Algoma (Algoma Sketch 48), an autumn oil sketch painted by Harris in 1919/1920, during the time when the Group of Seven officially formed as an association of painters, is expected to fetch $400,000 to $600,000 at Consignor Canadian Fine Art’s inaugural Live Auction of Important Canadian Art, taking place at the historic Berkeley Church, in downtown Toronto on May 31, 2016.

    In addition to its pristine condition, the value and rarity of this particular Harris sketch stems from the fact that it served as the preparatory work for several of the artist’s well-known large canvases including Island, MacCallum Lake (1921) part of the collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery; as well as for three others: Northern Island, Northern Painting XXV, 1924; Northern Painting 25, Northern Island II; and Island, Northern Painting XXI, which are all believed to currently reside in private collections.  Harris first visited the Algoma region of Ontario in 1918 and returned on multiple occasions with fellow members of the Group of Seven. Algoma Sketch 48 was acquired by an anonymous buyer in 1940 from the historic Laing Mellors Gallery in Toronto, later travelling with the family when they moved overseas.

    “We’re thrilled to offer such an exemplary example of Lawren Harris’ work in our first live auction,” said Rob Cowley, President of Consignor Canadian Fine Art.  “It has become increasingly rare to find a Harris preparatory sketch for any of his well-known works, let alone four.  We made the trip to Australia to secure the consignment personally from the client and we are delighted to be introducing this important artwork to Canadian collectors.”

    Lawren Harris is one of Canada’s most celebrated artists, and his works are currently at the height of popularity with the much-lauded retrospective The Idea of North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris, co-curated by actor, comedian and art-collector Steve Martin, anticipated to make its Canadian premiere at the Art Gallery of Ontario in July 2016.

    Several weeks of live previews will begin during the first week of May at the Consignor Canadian Fine Art Gallery located at 326 Dundas Street W. Consignor’s inaugural live Spring Auction of Important Canadian Art event will take place on Tuesday, May 31, 7:00 pm at the Berkeley Church, located at 315 Queen St. E in Toronto, ON.

    “Through careful consideration and feedback from our clientele, we decided that it was time to begin this new chapter for Consignor,” said Lydia Abbott, Managing Director of Consignor Canadian Fine Art.  “It is with great enthusiasm that we announce our first live auction of Important Canadian Art this spring with an exciting selection of artwork, including work by many of the most sought-after artists in the art market right now.”

    The live auction event begins a new tradition for Consignor, augmenting its current slate of notable online auctions established over the past three years through Consignor.ca.  Since its inception in 2013, Consignor’s auctions have included headline-grabbing works such as a rare 100-year-old Tom Thomson portrait (Daydreaming, sold for $172,500) and an undiscovered William Kurelek (Ukrainian Proverb, sold for $41,400).  Consignor’s offering of Jack Bush’s Summer Lake broke online auction records in May 2014 for the most expensive painting by a Canadian artist to be sold at an online auction ($310,500), and its June 2014 auction saw eight artists’ records broken.

    Consignor is also viewing artwork for consideration for the upcoming Online Auction of Canadian Art, acting as the second session to the live sale, with bidding open at Consignor.ca between June 1 – 8, 2016.

  • Rob Speaks with the Global Morning Show regarding the Consignor Spring Auction