The final auctions of 2021 have come to a close. Cowley Abbott rounded out a successful year with three concurrent Online Auctions: Coast to Coast, Holiday Charm and Works on Paper, Books & Tapestries. Each of these auctions featured an impressive array of genres, styles and mediums of artwork, from across Canada and beyond.
Celebrated Canadian artists Doris McCarthy, Alan Collier, John Little, Maud Lewis and many, many more were included in our most recent Online Auctions. Works of art ranging from historical to modern to contemporary were presented for discerning collectors and spontaneous buyers alike.
Among the notable works on paper were a set of lithographs by contemporary Inuk artist Shuvinai Ashoona. Teeming with colour, detail and imaginative forms, the dazzling lithographs sold above their estimate for $5,040.
Kim Dorland, Camp Price Realized: $26,400.00
Camp, a 2006 canvas by Kim Dorland also generated excitement among visitors. Rendered in fluorescent paints, a tent glows dramatically in the dark night. The detritus of wild times is strewn about in the foreground. Both quiet and exuberant, the distinctive painting sold well over the estimate for $26,400.
Frederick Loveroff, Evening, Algonquin Price Realized: $38,520.00
One of the stand-out results of the December auctions was Evening, Algonquin by Frederick Nicholas Loveroff. Reminiscent of the Algonquin Park sketches of the iconic Tom Thomson, the small oil sketch captures a dramatic sunset with confident brushwork and glowing colours. The appealing landscape caught the eye of a number of collectors and bids poured in for the painting. Evening, Algonquin soared to a price realized of $38,520.
Maud Lewis, Covered Bridge in Winter Price Realized: $43,200.00
Covered Bridge in Winterby beloved Canadian artist Maud Lewis was a wonderfully apt addition to Cowley Abbott’s “Holiday Charm” auction. Featuring snowy pines, horse-drawn sleighs and colourful east coast buildings, the painting exudes heart-warming appeal. The wintry scene demonstrated Maud Lewis’ enduring popularity with a strong result of $43,200.
The team at Cowley Abbott extend our gratitude to all the collectors, bidders and buyers who ensured 2021 was a year of growth and success. We very much look forward to the many new opportunities and experiences to come in the year ahead.
Through the November and December live and online auctions, Cowley Abbott achieved strong results for consignors, with multiple records broken, while connecting collectors at all levels with artwork of quality and rarity.
The Cowley Abbott Fall
Live Auction of Important Canadian Art drew a standing-room only audience to
the Gardiner Museum on Tuesday, November 19th, the gallery packed
with collectors who drove bidding to record levels in several instances through
successful sales of select work by Canada’s celebrated historical, post-war and
contemporary artists.
Jean Paul Lemieux, Basse messe, dimanche Price Realized: $330,400
Jean Paul Lemieux’s Basse messe,
dimanche, an expansive and immersive museum-level canvas by the key figure of
Canadian modernity, captivated visitors to the Cowley Abbott gallery during the
weeks of previewing that led to November evening sale. When bidding concluded,
the artwork had fetched $330,400, a solid result for the mature work which was
featured on the front cover of the fall auction catalogue.
From the moment of
publication of the auction online, excitement surrounded Molly Lamb Bobak’s Highland Games, Fredericton, a large and energetic canvas, portraying a
celebratory and energetic scene, a subject which has proven to be Bobak’s most
popular with collectors. When the artwork reached the podium, it did not take
long for feverish bidding to push competition well beyond pre-sale expectation.
When the gavel finally fell, a new auction record had been established for the
painter, the final bid reaching $100,300 (all prices include the 18% Buyer’s
Premium), more than tripling the pre-sale estimate.
William Kurelek, Pioneer Homestead on a Winter’s Evening Price Realized: $82,600
The work of William
Kurelek also drew strong attention during the fall live auction season. Two
paintings appeared at auction with Cowley Abbott for the first time, consigned
by the original Toronto collector, who owned them for almost fifty years. The
quality and rarity of the pair of paintings led to Pioneer Homestead on a Winter’s Evening fetching $82,600 (exceeding the high-end of
expectation) and Brothers selling for $95,000. The strong results
continue Cowley Abbott’s tradition of success in the sale of important work by
the Ukrainian-Canadian artist.
The November live
auction witnessed solid prices for a wide range of historical Canadian works of
art, including the work of: Cornelius Krieghoff (Hudson Bay Trader fetching $47,200); André Biéler (The Market
Stallalmost doubling the high-end auction estimate
to sell for $29,500); Frederick Banting (Inlet, French River selling for $28,320); Clarence Gagnon (La Mare, Baie St. Paul, a 1920 sketch related to a canvas in the
National Gallery of Canada, sold for $23,600); and P.C. Sheppard (St. Lawrence Market fetching $23,600), among many others.
Jean McEwen, Rose traversant les jaunes Price Realized: $88,500
A variety of Post-War and Contemporary offerings also drew competitive bidding during the fall catalogue sale, notably: Jean McEwen’s Rose traversant les jaunes (the canvas fetching $88,500, more than four times the opening bid); Gordon Smith’s West Coast #2 (exceeding the high-end of expectation, selling for $40,120); Autumn Foothills by Takao Tanabe (selling for $37,760); Sorel Etrog’s Small Chair (Hand) (fetching $28,320), Marcel Barbeau’s 1947 Dents de sable à cran d’acier(in excess of the auction estimate’s upper range, selling for $23,600); and Ronald York Wilson’s Untitled (the large canvas almost doubling the auction estimate, achieving $22,420).
The success of the
November live auction continued in the subsequent November and December online
sessions, where bidders across Canada and beyond competing for a wide range of
work that catered not only to seasoned collectors, but also to new and
intermediate clients, continuing to establish their collections.
Franklin Arbuckle’s True Lover’s Leap, Newfoundland inspired great excitement nation-wide when the
canvas was added to the Cowley Abbott website. The rare and dramatic east coast
landscape by the celebrated painter had remained in the same private collection
since 1964, Alfred Upton delighted to receive the painting as a retirement gift
from Dominion Life Assurance. Upton loved the painting and requested the
painting when given the option to choose a token of appreciation when his time
with the firm finished. The painting had been purchased by Dominion Life in
1949 to be featured in their yearly calendar that annually featured the work of
a different Canadian artist. The work was chosen, in consultation with A.J.
Casson, for its quality and also to commemorate Newfoundland joining
confederation. True Lover’s Leap, Newfoundland had been exhibited in the
1949 Royal Canadian Academy showing at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and was
not only reproduced in the exhibition’s catalogue, but was also noted in a
Gazette article which discussed the annual show. The debut of the canvas at
Cowley Abbott once again had the painting drawing media attention, with a two Newfoundland
Telegram articles (found here and here) that followed its record-breaking performance
during the auction. The artwork sold for $30,680, more than five times its
opening bid and more than double the previous auction record for Franklin
Arbuckle’s work.
We extend our thanks to
the clients, bidders and buyers who helped to ensure that 2019 was another very
successful year for Cowley Abbott. We are already preparing a very exciting
schedule of sales for 2020 and look forward to sharing it with you.
(Toronto – November 26, 2015) Consignor Canadian Fine Art is nearing the end of another successful year with the close of the Fall Auction of Canadian Art on November 25. The auction invited active client participation from across Canada, with a wealth of consignors, bidders, buyers and visitors to our downtown gallery leading to strong bidding competition, notable results and a high sell rate for the November sale.
Emerging and established collectors bid well into the evening from the comfort of their homes using Consignor’s proprietary and specialized online auction software. The evening’s high achievers included fine examples by Frank Johnston (and fellow members of the Group of Seven), Illingworth Kerr and Manly MacDonald, three of the many works which fetched values well beyond their pre-sale estimates. A rare nocturne painting by Johnston captured bidders’ interest, March Midnight selling for $12,650 (all prices include the 15% Buyer’s Premium), more than double its estimate. Illingworth Kerr also rocketed past its expectation, Mountain Moon ultimately achieving $11,500, tripling the estimate. Manly MacDonald’s impressionistic painting of the iconic University of Toronto Hart House also easily passed its estimate, Hart House in Winter inviting strong comptetion between bidders and selling for three times the expectation. Each of these paintings found homes in private collections across Canada, the fall auction generating interest and bidding from clients nationally and internationally.
Artwork by the Group of Seven showed particular strength during the sale with examples by Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. MacDonald, A.J. Casson, and Frank Johnston performing strongly. Other Canadian historical artists highlights included paintings by John William Beatty, Frederick Loveroff, and John McNaughton, with rare examples by the three painters inspiring competition from bidders. Loveroff’s The Portage, a spectacular oil on canvas that hung comfortably among his Group of Seven counterparts, sold for $19,550, one of the highest prices ever achieved for the painter’s work at auction. A luminous canvas by J.W. Beatty, a favourite during Consignor’s extensive previews in November, sold for $32,200, one of the highest auction results for the celebrated artist’s work, a result deserving of Baie St. Paul‘s evidence of Beatty as a true master of light and colour.
Equally sought during the fall auction were modern and contemporary artworks by Jean Paul Riopelle, Gershon Iskowitz, Jean-Paul Jerome, William Kurelek, Ted Godwin, William Winter and Maud Lewis, all of whom continue to enjoy excellent results through Consignor’s online auctions. Riopelle’s Sans titre (PM16)fetched $41,400, the estimate exceeded for the wonderful example of the artist’s signature style executed on a unique oval canvas. Captivating paintings by Iskowitz and Godwin were favourites during the November preview, Violet-A and Hidden Valley (B) selling for $17,250 and $21,850, respectively.
Select highlights from the Fall Auction of Important Canadian Art can be viewed by following this link.
From the entire team at Consignor Canadian Fine Art, we thank you for supporting us in 2015 and we wish you the best holidays with family and friends. Stay tuned to our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up-to-date on exciting news and events for 2016!
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.
