A Look At Cowley Abbott Valuation Days

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Cowley Abbott kicked off our first valuation days of the 2025 season in Toronto on February 12th and another on March 19th. It was at these valuation days that specialists consigned a W.J. Phillips and provided a valuation for a Joyce Weiland artwork.

From February 20th – 27th, President Rob Cowley and Senior Art Specialist Anna Holmes travelled the east coast beginning in Charlottetown, P.E.I., making stops in Halifax, Nova Scotia and ending in Fredericton, New Brunswick. During this trip our team spoke with the press, including CBC radio and tv in Charlottetown, Global and CBC in Halifax (view here), and CBC radio in Fredericton; and of course, valued incredible works of art. Rob also had the opportunity to speak to students at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia about the auction world and an important private collection.

A range of regional artists were viewed at our east coast valuation days, such as A.Y. Jackson, Mary Pratt, Frederick Arthur Verner, A.J. Casson, Maud Lewis, Molly Lamb Bobak. International artist highlights included a work by Pablo Picasso. We were also entrusted with some incredible consignments, including a canvas by Yves Gaucher and a canvas by Fern Coppedge which will both be offered in our upcoming live auction.

Also while on the East Coast Rob had the opportunity to speak with students from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia about the auction market and an important private collection.

On April 3rd, our valuation day was hosted by The Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Kingston, Ontario, where Rob Cowley gave a talk on “Artwork Tales”. This talk focused on exciting highlights sold at Cowley Abbott such as Ukrainian Proverb by William Kurelek, Algoma (Algoma Sketch 48) by Lawren Harris and DHead XLVI by David Bowie. 

Rob also discussed the amazing results from the Private Collection auctions in 2023/2024 and highlighted the Joyce Putnam Bequest of paintings that the Agnes Etherington Art Centre has in their collection, which consisted primarily of Group of Seven works. It was a valuation day to remember and a huge thank you to all who joined the talk!

Our April 6th Valuation day saw Canadian Art Specialist Eryn Brobyn and Senior Canadian & International Art Specialist Perry Tung travel to the Art Gallery of Hamilton where they were delighted to value works by Andy Warhol, Alexandra Luke, and Tom Hodgson.

Our firm looks forward to the valuation days of this upcoming season, including a visit to Niagara on the Lake at The Riverbrink Museum on April 25. We thank everyone for their participation in our valuation days. 

For more information on valuation days and upcoming events visit cowleyabbott.ca and follow us on social media!

Rob Cowley Sits Down with BNN Bloomberg’s Paul Bagnell

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Rob Cowley visited the BNN Bloomberg studio to chat with Paul Bagnell about the art market and Cowley Abbott’s recent cross country travel.

Rob speaks with BNN Bloomberg’s Paul Bagnell regarding Cowley Abbott’s ongoing national travels as they collect consignments for their upcoming spring live auction. The discussion then focuses upon a selection of artwork for auction and private sale currently in Cowley Abbott’s care for sale.

Remembering Robert Noakes with Senior International Art Specialist Perry Tung

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I was sad to hear of Robert Noakes’ passing last year, but while preparing his art collection to be offered for sale, vivid memories of Robert buzzing around the auction rooms during previews and phone bidding with him came back to me.

I first met Robert early in my career when I was working for a local Toronto auction house. During previews, he would stride into the galleries, making straight for the works he was interested in. Inevitably, these would be decorative arts, furniture and fine art. His residence, luxuriously decorated with artworks and sculptures in every room, was a testament to his expert eye as a collector.

Works by Graham Coughtry, Henri Matisse and Guido Molinari displayed at the Noakes residence

During the auction week, I would often be assigned to phone bid with Robert. Phone bidding with him was always exciting. I would call him three lots ahead, we would quickly catch up, and then it would come time to bid on the lot he wanted, and he would get very serious. Once the auctioneer had opened the lot, he would quickly jump in, usually telling me to keep the paddle up until he won the lot. Or he would wait until the auctioneer would hammer down a lot and tell me to bid, eventually winning the lot. His quick thinking and passion for collecting art made him a memorable figure in the Canadian auction world, unlike anyone else.

Cowley Abbott is delighted to present four online auctions showcasing the breadth and depth of his collection. There are exceptional works in each auction, with the following highlights in our February sales:

Lot 20. Françoise Sullivan, Rouges. Oil on canvas. 30 x 40 in (76.2 x 101.6 cm). Estimate: $7,000-9,000

Lot 35. Robert Motherwell, Three Forms II (B. 416). Etching with carborundum on grey HMP paper. 17.5 x 22.5 in (44.5 x 57.2 cm). Estimate: $3,000-4,000

Lot 2. Guido Molinari, Noir & Blanc. Ink on paper. 20.5 x 26 in (52.1 x 66 cm). Estimate: $10,000-15,000

Artwork from the Estate of Jaan Poldaas Online Auction (February 11th to 25th)

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Jaan Poldaas (1948-2018) was born in Sweden to Estonian refugees and grew up in Northern Ontario. Initially trained as an architect at the University of Toronto, Poldaas began painting in the geometric abstract style for which he is known, but from a consistently experimental and conceptual perspective. Cowley Abbott and the estate of Jaan Poldaas are pleased to present seven original works by the artist, including a full set of the six collage series or studies for Poldaas’ major works of the 1990s. Also featured is a work from the artist’s first series, entitled “Horizon paintings”, which consisted of experiments with monochrome paint on paper. Twenty-nine additional works from the artist’s personal collection by diverse artists represent five decades of Canadian art, telling a story about painting in Toronto and its legacy. All the works in the collection held meaning for the artist, and reflect Jaan Poldaas’ true admiration of paint, painting – and the great Canadian painters. 

Browse the catalogue for Artwork from the Estate of Jaan Poldaas, open for bidding until February 25th and available to preview at the Cowley Abbott gallery.