• Live Auction of Important Canadian & International Art (Wednesday, December 6th at 4:00 pm EST) – The Collection of Joe & Anita Robertson

    Rob Cowley highlights artwork from the collection of Joe & Anita Robertson, being offered in their honour in our Fall Live Auction of Important Canadian & International Art on Wednesday, December 6th at 4:00 pm (EST)

    The artwork from the collection is being offered in memory of Joe, Anita and Laura Robertson. Each work of art was carefully chosen by the Robertson family and hung in their welcoming home.

    Joe and Anita Robertson were prominent Niagara Peninsula businesspeople, both born to large, closely knit families. They met as teenagers while working at a McDonald’s in Bells Corners, Nepean and married in 1986, raising three children, Taylor, Clark and Laura.

    Joe and Anita were lifelong best friends and business partners. They excelled in their careers, purchasing a small dental supply company in St. Catharines, Ontario to grow it under the name of Arcona Health Incorporated. They would sell the company with Joe becoming the CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors of the parent company’s Canadian subsidiary, Henry Schein Arcona Inc.

    Laura Robertson, the family’s youngest child, grew up in St. Catharines before moving to Vancouver to earn her Bachelor’s of Kinesiology from the University of British Columbia in 2017. Laura had begun working in Brock University’s Kinesiology Department as a Facilities Coordinator at the time of her passing. She was an active volunteer at Red Roof Retreat and was proud to serve Niagara-on-the-Lake as a volunteer firefighter. Laura had a lifelong passion for the arts and was a skilled illustrator and oil painter.

    Joe and Anita Robertson were philanthropically active in their Niagara-on-the-Lake and St. Catharines communities, making major financial contributions to the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre to build a multipurpose theatre, the Niagara Health Foundation to support the construction of the hospital and the Niagara-on-the-Lake nursery, as well as many other causes.

    Besides being active volunteers, they also individually played pivotal roles supporting the St. Catharines & District United Way, the Council of Chairs of Ontario Universities, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, Music Cares, Bravo Niagara and the Brock Performing Arts Centre. Joe also served on the board of Brock University for over a decade, and between 2012 and 2014 was Chair of their Board of Governors.

    As such strong supporters and active participants of arts and culture, it is not surprising that the artwork they collected reflected their passion for art.

    Cowley Abbott is proud to donate a portion of our commission from the sale of the family’s artwork to the United Way Niagara in memory of Joe, Anita and Laura Robertson and on behalf of their surviving children, Clark and Taylor.

  • Fall Live Auction of Important Canadian & International Art (Wednesday, December 6th at 4:00 pm)

    Highlights of the first session of the Fall Live Auction include two canvases by abstract painter Guido Molinari, deaccessioned by the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). Molinari is represented by major works in the AGO’s collection, as well as across Canada. Following museum guidelines, the proceeds of deaccessioning go towards future acquisitions. Cowley Abbott is privileged to be entrusted with these artworks, on the heels of our success for the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq in June 2023.

    Lot 49 Guido Molinari Quantificateur, 1981
    Lot 48 Guido Molinari Serial, 1964/1966

    During Cowley Abbott’s Live Auction of Important Canadian and International Art on June 8th, Andy Warhol’s Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, from the Reigning Queens Series (1985) attracted international bidding, selling for $936,000. Proceeds from the sale of the set of four colour screenprints supported the development of an endowment fund to build more diverse representation in the Gallery’s permanent collection.

    Andy Warhol Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Sold for $936,000

    Another fantastic highlight from the first session of the Fall Live Auction is Untitled, 2012 by Denyse Thomasos, an important Canadian-Trinidadian female artist. This painting was recently included in the celebrated exhibition, “Denyse Thomasos: Just Beyond”, a large retrospective seen at the Art Gallery of Toronto in 2022. Painted in the last year of her tragically short life, this is an important artwork by the artist, that we are honoured to be entrusted with this auction season.

    Lot 12 Denyse Thomasos Untitled, 2012

    We hope you will visit Cowley Abbott to view these artworks in our gallery ahead of the Fall Live Auction on December 6th at Toronto’s Globe & Mail Centre.

  • Live Auction of Important Canadian & International Art (Wednesday, December 6th at 4:00 pm EST)

    Post-War Quebec

    Speak with Our Specialists at the Toronto Preview

  • The New Collector’s Guide to Buying at Auction

    If you are new to art collecting, browsing online auctions is a great place to start. At the click of a button, you may find yourself the proud owner of an artwork by a reputable artist. 

    John Hoyland
    Blues, Reds
    Estimate: $800 – 1,000

    Buy at Auction versus at a Gallery

    Galleries are the primary (retail) market for buying art. Gallery owners spend a lot of time and money choosing which artists they want to represent and building a strong clientele base and marking strategy. Galleries can also set their own prices, since the artwork is usually being sold for the first time. Auctions are the secondary market for buying art, which means that the prices fluctuate according to supply & demand, design trends, and therefore what a buyer is willing to pay. This often means that an artwork at auction will sell for less than at a gallery, because the buyer pays the market price rather than the retail price.

    In recent years, buying art at auction has become incredibly accessible, with online sales being offered every month at auction houses worldwide. Whether you are looking for a contemporary artist specifically or a work by a more obscure artist, do some searching and have a little patience, because chances are it will be come up at auction somewhere! According to The Art Market Report 2023, “online bidding has evolved from a minority alternative to the dominant method of accessing sales.”

    Choose a Work and Gather Information

    Once you discover an artist you enjoy, learn as much as possible about their practice and what type of artwork most appeals to you. A great source of information is Artnet and Artsy, which offer detailed information about artists, artworks and auctions. By doing further research, you will better understand both the artist’s trajectory and why an artwork is being offered at a certain value. However, it is also fun to browse online auction listings by categories that interest you (ex. “Prints & Multiples“, “The Canadian Landscape“, “Art of Quebec“) and discovering new artworks and artists you were not expecting!

    Viewing an artwork in person may not always be possible with online auctions, which is why we suggest requesting a condition report before bidding on a lot. A key aspect that collectors should keep in mind is the condition, since artworks at auction are sold “as is.” While a certain amount of wear and tear is to be expected from an older artwork, you should be (and can be) made fully aware of any past restoration or restoration that needs to be done. For example, a 70-year-old watercolour may have a few creases in the paper and some tiny spots of staining, causing it to be priced lower than if it were in perfect condition. A condition report will enable you to learn about these issues and decide if they affect if or how high you bid on the artwork. Cowley Abbott specialists are also happy to discuss the reports with you on the phone, to help you feel confident in the bidding process.

    Become More Familiar with Buyer’s Terms

    Whenever you buy online from an auction house, there are a few key terms to always keep in mind:

    Estimate

    Each lot receives a low and high estimate, corresponding to the opinion of experts about the range in which the lot might sell at auction. Estimates are based on the condition and on recent auction records of comparable artworks. It usually serves as the basis for establishing the reserve price.

    Reserve

    This is the minimum price that a consignor and an auction house have agreed upon to sell an artwork. Reserves are usually set at or below the low estimate. During Cowley Abbott’s online auctions, the reserve price will be the opening bid, shown as “Next Bid” below the auction estimate.

    Maximum Bid

    When bidding on a lot, you may choose to place a maximum bid representing the highest amount you are willing to pay for an item. The system will then place incremental bids on your behalf based on the bid increments until your maximum bid has been reached. This is so you don’t have to stand by your computer the whole afternoon while the bidding is unfolding, making sure you don’t miss anything (although many bidders prefer this way!)

    Hammer Price

    This is the winning bid for a lot at auction, which does not include the buyer’s premium.

    Buyer’s Premium

    This is the amount above the hammer price that must be paid as part of the total purchase price. All auction houses add a percentage on top of the hammer price. At Cowley Abbott, the buyer’s premium is 20% for online sales.

    As Is

    Property sold at auction is offered “as is,” meaning it is sold with all existing imperfections and faults.

  • From Surrealism to the New York School: Stanley William Hayter’s Influence on Printmaking

    We are excited to be offering three prints by master printmaker Stanley William Hayter (1901–1988) in our September Prints & Multiples online auction. Hayter studied chemistry and geology in England and worked for several years as a research scientist in the Middle East. He painted during his free time and, in 1926, moved to Paris to become a full-time artist. The following year he established Atelier 17, a printmaking workshop where artists such as Max Ernst, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso could experiment with different techniques and media. In 1940, Hayter moved his studio to New York, where he would operate for nearly a decade before returning to France. 

    There, he attracted not only European painters and printmakers taking refuge from the war, particularly those affiliated with Surrealism, but also young American artists interested in the ideas these exiles brought with them. The exposure to the European artists and Hayter’s teaching had an enormous impact on American artists, many of whom were affiliated with the New York School, and greatly affected the future of printmaking in the United States. Jackson Pollock was influenced by Hayter in New York, particularly by his emphasis on automatism and reliance on the unconscious. The Atelier helped shape the early years of Abstract Expressionism and became one of the most influential graphic arts workshops of the twentieth century.

    Lot 17
    Stanley William Hayter
    Le chas de l’aiguille, 1946
    Estimate: $800 – 1,000

    This beautiful etching Chas de l’aiguille has a controlled and sinuous arrangement of thin lines. The free-flowing lines appear to be spontaneously drawn, recalling the automatism that inspired Surrealism. The etching is nearly abstract, with female anatomical features emerging from the tangled lines. Chas de l’aiguille, which translates to “Eye of the needle,” is particularly remarkable and rare because it dates to 1946—making it one of Hayter’s earliest prints executed post-war while living in New York.

    Lot 18
    Stanley William Hayter
    Day & Night, 1952
    Estimate: $1,500 – 2,500

    Day and Night is a beautiful colour aquatint with etching by Hayter dating to 1952. At this time, Hayter would have been back in France while keeping ties with his American students and contemporaries in New York as Abstract Expressionism was exploding on the art scene. This print, with very loose references to human features, shows the artist’s transition from Surrealism to Abstract Expressionism and from figuration to abstraction. 

    Lot 16
    Stanley William Hayter
    Sealed Web, 1968
    Estimate: $1,500 – 2,500

    The third print by Hayter in this month’s auction is another colour aquatint with etching entitled Sealed Web. Entirely abstract with no reference to figuration and executed in a bright yet simplified colour palette of orange and blue, the work is a product of its time, dating to 1968. By this point, Abstract Expressionism had peaked and branched out into other abstract movements, including Color-Field painting, characterized by large areas of bright colours. The vibrations created by the layered web of lines also bear similarities to Op Art—a movement that emerged in the mid-1960s and focused on creating optical illusions for the viewer.