Posted by & filed under Cowley Abbott Updates.

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Cowley Abbott’s June Online Auction features a plethora of captivating works, from the bold geometry of Roy Lichtenstein’s Pop Art to the meditative landscapes of Alexander Young Jackson and John William Beatty. These works celebrate the diversity of modern painting and the enduring legacy of artists who continue to shape our visual and cultural heritage. 

Old Birch Trees by A.Y. Jackson

A.Y. Jackson
Old Birch Trees, Calabogie

Alexander Young Jackson, a founding member of the Group of Seven, was born in Montreal in 1882. His early training in Paris exposed him to European Impressionism, which he later adapted to depict the Canadian landscape. Old Birch Trees is a poignant example of Jackson’s ability to capture the essence of the Canadian wilderness with sensitivity and precision. In this painting, Jackson portrays a cluster of birch trees, their white bark contracting against the surrounding foliage. The composition’s simplicity furthers the emotional depth of the painting, evoking a sense of solitude and reverence for nature.

Beech Woods by John William Beatty

John W. Beatty
Beech Woods, 1927

John William Beatty, an English-born Canadian artist, was known for his detailed landscape paintings that often depicted the Ontario countryside. Born in 1869, Beaty’s work often features his meticulous attention to detail and a deep appreciation for the natural environment. Painted in 1927, Beech Woods showcases his ability to capture the tranquility of the Canadian landscape. In this piece, Beatty depicts a serene woodland scene with beech trees standing tall amidst a carpet of fallen leaves. The soft interplay of light filtering through the canopy creates a peaceful ambiance, inviting viewers to pause and reflect and Beatty’s precise brushwork and subtle colour palette enhance the painting’s sense of realism. 

White Breaking by Jack Leonard Shadbolt

Jack Shadbolt
White Breaking, 1965

Jack Leonard Shadbolt, a Canadian painter and printmaker, was born in 1909 in England and immigrated to Canada in 1911. His early exposure to European modernism influenced his development as an artist. White Breaking, painted in 1965, is a powerful example of Shadbolt’s abstract expressionist style. The painting features a stark contrast between white and dark tones, creating a sense of tension within the work. Shadbolt’s use of bold brushstrokes and layered textures conveys energy which is reflected in his interest in the emotional human experience. The title, White Breaking, suggests a moment of rupture of transformation and invites the viewer to stop and think about the Shadbolt’s intended meaning. 

Waiting by Max Weber

Max Weber
Waiting

Max Weber, a pivotal figure in early 20th-century American modernism, was born in Russia to Jewish parents and immigrated to the United States as a child. Trained at the National Academy of Design and influenced by modernism, Weber’s expressive abstraction bridged European influences and American sensibilities. In Waiting (1957), Weber uses both watercolour and gouache to convey a poignant moment of anticipation. The composition’s angular lines and overlapping shapes suggest a fusion of the figure with its environment, playing with the relationship between subject and environment.  The work reflects Weber’s interest in the psychology of the human experience and capturing a moment of stillness before action. 

Foot Medication Poster (Corlett App. 3) by Roy Lichtenstein

Roy Lichtenstein
Foot Medication Poster (Corlett App. 3)

A leading figure in the Pop Art movement, Roy Lichtenstein, was born in New York City in 1923. Initially trained as a commercial artist, Lichtenstein’s work often drew from the visual language of advertising, comic strips, and mass media. His 1963 lithograph, Foot Medication Poster (Corlett App. 3), exemplifies his signature style – bold lines, flat colours, and a satirical take on consumer culture. This piece was created as a promotional poster for an exhibition at Leo Castelli Gallery, featuring works by other prominent artists of the time. The image depicts a hand applying medication to a foot, rendered in Lichtenstein’s Ben-Day dots and graphic precision. The subject matter of a mundane and everyday action elevates the ordinary to the level of high art, challenging traditional notions of what constitutes worthy subject matter.

Perforated Space Divider Screen Maquette by Herbert Bayer

Herbert Bayer, an Austrian-American artist and designer, was a prominent member of the Bauhaus school, known for its integration of art, design, and architecture. Born in 1900 in Austria, Bayer’s work spanned various media, including graphic design, typography, and industrial design. His Perforated Space Divider Screen Maquette is a testament to his innovative approach to spatial design. This maquette represents Bayer’s exploration of modular design principles, aiming to create flexible and functional spaces within architectural environments.  The perforated screen design allows for light and air to pass through, showing the dynamic between solid forms and the void-like background. It reflects Bayer’s belief in the functional integration of art and design, where aesthetics serve both form and purpose. 

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Our nation’s post-war artists were on strong display during the May 28th spring live auction with Cowley Abbott featuring paintings and sculpture by artists from across Canada that dazzled collectors during weeks of previews in Calgary and Toronto. The excitement during the viewings carried to sale night as rapid bidding carried prices well within estimate and, in several instances, beyond the high-end of expectation.

Yves Gaucher
Ocres, jaune et vert, 1974
Jack Bush
Vic Day, 1974
Harold Town
Spector, 1960
Sorel Etrog
High Society, 1964
Norval Morrisseau
Conversation with Our White Brother, 1980
Marcelle Ferron
Sans titre, 1962

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This season, Cowley Abbott’s offerings of early Canadian paintings and works on paper provided collectors the opportunity to bid upon examples that represented our country’s creators starting from Confederation. These examples excited collectors throughout our previews and drove bidders to raise their paddles high (in the auction gallery, on the telephone and online), pressing several of the works of art to exceed pre-sale expectation. 

P.C. Sheppard
The Bridge Builders, Construction, Bloor Street Viaduct, 1915
Cornelius Krieghoff
Bilking the Toll Gate, 1869
James Wilson Morrice
On the Terrace, circa 1898
Frances Anne Hopkins
Lumber Raft on the Ottawa, 1886
David Milne
Green and Brown, Boston Corners, 1917

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From rare 1880s watercolours by Frances Anne Hopkins to an electric diptych by Wanda Koop, the Cowley Abbott spring live auction featured rare and important work from celebrated female Canadian artists, spanning more than 150 years of creation. Regardless of the period of the artwork, the rarity and quality of the paintings and works on paper invited spirited bidding with several works well exceeding their estimates. 

Marcelle Ferron
Sans titre, 1964
Emily Carr
Fir Trees, circa 1935
Frances Anne Hopkins
Canoes in a Fog, Lake Superior, 1864
Rita Letendre
Sans titre, 1965
Wanda Koop
Standing Withstanding (Infrared-Still); Standing Withstanding (Infrared-Capital), 2017
Lise Gervais
Le double anneau dans l’oeil, 1964

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Cowley Abbott’s international art department has continued to grow steadily over the past five years, attracting artwork of note by artists globally to a collecting audience across Canada and beyond. Importantly, these offerings are providing an opportunity for Canadian collectors to acquire international artworks within our borders, while also serving our clients around the globe. This season provided a focused grouping of paintings, works on paper and sculpture from artists around the world, with representation from the United States, France, Spain and Mexico. The quality and rarity of these works attracted determined strategy from bidders, leading to another season of strong results.

Gene Davis
Hell’s Calendar #3
Andy Warhol
Turtle (F&S II.360A), 1985
Jessie Willcox Smith
Study for a Portrait
Andy Warhol
Wayne Gretzky #99 (F&S II.306)
Eugenio Fernández Granell
Characters Coming Out of the Clouds, 1974

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The Group of Seven were represented strongly in the Cowley Abbott spring live auction last week with eight of the ten members of the celebrated association featured. Many of the exceptional Group artworks made their auction debut, inspiring fierce bidding and driving strong results. Here are some of the artworks by the Group that excited collectors during the spring sale.

Franklin Carmichael
Old Orchard, 1940
Alfred Joseph Casson
The Village Store, Bradford, circa 1928
Lawren Harris
Northern Lake, circa 1925
J.E.H. MacDonald
Church by the Sea, N.S., 1922
Arthur Lismer
Light Breaking Through, Lake Superior, 1927
Frank Hans Johnston
Along the Line, Algoma, 1918
A.Y. Jackson
Reflections in the Creek, circa 1914

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SELECT MASTERWORKS OF CANADIAN & INTERNATIONAL ART (1)
Eryn Brobyn Discusses the Artworks of Marcelle Ferron in the Live Auction

Foremost Canadian Female Artists in the Spring Live Auction

Rita Letendre Sans titre, 1965
Emily Carr Fir Trees, circa 1935
Frances Anne Hopkins Canoes in a Fog, Lake Superior, 1864
Marcelle Ferron Sans titre, 1964
Wanda Koop Standing Withstanding (Infrared-Still); Standing Withstanding (Infrared-Capital), 2017
Marcelle Ferron Sans titre, circa 1962
Lise Gervais Sans titre, 1961
Alexandra Luke Exanimo
(From the Heart), 1954
Pegi Nicol MacLeod School Garden, circa 1933

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SELECT MASTERWORKS OF CANADIAN & INTERNATIONAL ART (1)
View Rob Cowley’s Video Highlighting “Fir Trees”, circa 1935 by Emily Carr

Celebrated Female Artists Featuring Emily Carr

Cowley Abbott is delighted to share Fir Trees, circa 1935 by Emily Carr this auction season. Carr’s oil on paper sketches are amongst her most important contributions to Canadian art. No other Canadian painter explored the idea of the sketch more intensely and brilliantly than Emily Carr and this work is a prime example. 

Cowley Abbott is very proud to be entrusted with a strong selection of works by Canadian and international female artists in the Spring Live Auction of Select Masterworks of Canadian and International Art on May 28th. We hope you will visit our auction preview at the Toronto gallery to enjoy these artworks. 

Emily Carr, Fir Trees, circa 1935
Fern Isabel Coppedge Autumn Scene
Lise Gervais Le double anneau dans l’oeil
Rita Letendre Sans titre
Marcelle Ferron Sans titre
Maud Lewis Two Fishermen
Frances Anne Hopkins Canoes in a Fog,
Lake Superior
Alexandra Luke Exanimo
(From the Heart)
Pegi Nicol MacLeod School Garden
Jessie Willcox Smith Study for a Portrait

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SELECT MASTERWORKS OF CANADIAN & INTERNATIONAL ART (1)

Peter Clapham Sheppard: Chronicler of the Urban Environment

Cowley Abbott is delighted to be entrusted with a rare and masterful work by Peter Clapham Sheppard, The Bridge Builders, Construction, Bloor Street Viaduct, 1915. 

P.C. Sheppard was one of the first among Toronto’s early twentieth century modernists to record the urban experience during a period of dynamic growth and change. Such massive building projects proclaimed this city’s unstoppable industrial and technological age. Bridge Builders is an emblem of the aspirational spirit of a confident nation that will soon emerge from the crucible of war proud, independent, and with a new global identity. Sheppard is captivated by the movement, light, and activity of ports, railyards, markets, parades and the circus. The artist extols the humanity of the workers who laboured there, mostly new immigrants, whose toil wove together the rich multicultural fabric we enjoy in Toronto today.

Cowley Abbott is very proud to be entrusted with this painting, which makes its auction debut in our Spring Live Auction of Select Masterworks of Canadian and International Art on May 28th. 

Peter Clapham Sheppard 
The Bridge Builders, Construction, Bloor Street Viaduct, 1915

VISIT THE AUCTION PREVIEW THIS WEEKEND

May 16th to May 28th

Monday to Friday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Saturday and Sunday: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Wednesday, May 28th: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Cowley Abbott Gallery 

326 Dundas St. W. Toronto M5T 1G5

SPRING LIVE AUCTION

Wednesday, May 28th at 7:00 pm EDT

The Globe & Mail Centre, 17th Floor

351 King Street East, Toronto

BROWSE AUCTION CATALOGUE