Our specialists present highlights from our current online auction, featuring prominent twentieth-century artists working across a range of mediums. From standout works by Abstract Expressionists and Color Field artists to a selection of watercolours and drawings by Otto Dix, our Day Auction charts the innovation of artists at the top of their craft.
Afterglow is a magnificent example of Friedel Dzubas’s return to the square format in the 1970s, which felt more normal and organic to him. With the square, he felt he could enter the picture more easily: “I also was comfortable standing into [the surface] and painting around it, which I did in the beginning, and by lying down. I built all kinds of construction to not let it touch the surface, but in the beginning I walked into my square and I painted in a certain logistical, with a certain strategy, painted whatever imagery I wanted to paint.”
This work truly exemplifies Dzubas’s commitment to exploiting pigment, image, and brushstroke to activate the surface of his paintings.
This unique lithograph pays tribute to Kenneth Noland’s mature works, which follow in the footsteps of Piet Mondrian, “in their classic purity, chromatic breakdown of space and the optical effects of forms which seem to advance and retreat while simultaneously occupying a single plane.”
Following his break in the 1950s with Abstract Expressionism, Noland began producing paintings with geometric shapes and bold colour combinations. Elements from his Flares series can be gleaned from this work, with the sinuous bands evoking the complex interplay of colour and form also present in the translucent plexiglass strips.
Otto Dix, Steckborn, Switzerland from Hemmenhofen, 1949. Estimate: $7,000 – 9,000
When Julian Dix, the artist’s grandson, sent images of his collection, I was struck by how different these works were, presenting idyllic pastoral scenes and a remarkable study for the 1920 painting Cats.
It was a joy working with him and learning about this other side of the German artist. As his grandson describes: “These works of my grandfather have been in our family since his passing in 1969, and there is an intimacy about them that reveals the artist’s hand, and offers a rare glimpse into Otto Dix the man. These are what I categorize as the quiet works of my grandfather—no provocation, and away from the spotlight of political scrutiny.”
Robert Mapplethorpe, Apples and Urn, 1987. Estimate: $15,000 – 20,000
I was instantly drawn to this photograph for its balance of elegance and restraint. Robert Mapplethorpe elevates everyday objects into something timeless and sculptural. The velvety blacks and perfectly controlled composition create a sense of stillness and quiet drama. It is a work that feels both classical and contemporary. I like how it is an unexpected subject matter for the artist. Mapplethorpe’s still lifes reveal his obsession with form, balance, chiaroscuro, and classical beauty, without the charged emotional or cultural context of his figurative work.
Francis Bacon, After Study for Bullfight #1, 1969 (Sabatier 10). Estimate: $20,000 – 30,000
This striking work was inspired by Francis Bacon’s triptych of bullfight paintings from 1969, which celebrates this ancient ritual that remains popular in Spain. This colour lithograph was initially issued as the main image on the poster advertising Bacon’s retrospective of paintings in October 1971 at the Grand Palais in Paris.
His series of bullfight scenes pay homage to Bacon’s enduring interest in exploring the intersection of human and animal, of the wild brutality that animates all of us. By capturing the beauty within the liminal state between life and death, the Irish-born artist offers a poignant meditation on the true nature of mankind.
Cowley Abbott est ravi de présenter, pour la saison des enchères d’automne 2025, une sélection distinguée d’œuvres d’art québécois couvrant plus d’un siècle d’innovation artistique et d’expression culturelle. Des premiers portraits à l’abstraction d’après-guerre, ces œuvres retracent l’évolution de la vision artistique dans la province.
Les scènes intimes d’enfants et les croquis de la France réalisés par J.W. Morrice illustrent comment l’artiste a fait le pont entre les traditions académiques du XIXᵉ siècle et l’émergence d’une vision moderne dans la peinture canadienne.
Une remarquable huile de 1950 par Jean Paul Riopelle marque le début de sa série de mosaïques la plus célébrée. L’artiste venait alors de s’établir à Paris, où il se sentit libéré du poids oppressant du contrôle de l’Église catholique sur la société québécoise. Riopelle chercha à inventer son propre langage visuel et à créer librement, loin de tout dogme et de toute contrainte.
Alfred Pellan fut l’un des premiers artistes québécois à introduire le modernisme européen au Canada. Après avoir étudié et travaillé à Paris dans les années 1920 et 1930, il retourna à Montréal avec un style audacieux et imaginatif influencé par le surréalisme, le cubisme et le fauvisme. L’œuvre de Pellan est rare sur le marché des enchères, et nous sommes ravis de présenter cette saison deux œuvres dynamiques, Chasse sous-marine et Au soleil noir, toutes deux datées de 1958.
Cowley Abbott a également l’honneur d’offrir deux œuvres rares de Paul-Émile Borduas, figure centrale de l’art abstrait canadien et chef de file des Automatistes. Défenseur de la liberté artistique, Borduas contribua à ouvrir une nouvelle ère de modernité au Canada et inspira les transformations sociales et culturelles qui ont suivi lors de la Révolution tranquille. Les Trois baigneuses, une huile sur toile de 1941, témoigne de son intérêt pour l’approche formelle de Paul Cézanne, cette œuvre s’inspirant particulièrement des Grandes baigneuses du Philadelphia Museum of Art.
La gouache Abstractionno. 10 ou Figure athénienne fait partie d’un ensemble de quarante-cinq œuvres exposées au printemps 1942 à Montréal lors de l’exposition Œuvres surréalistes de Borduas. Cette présentation est largement reconnue comme le point de départ du mouvement automatiste montréalais.
Peinte en 1964, au cœur de sa « période classique » la plus connue, Jeune fille en jaune illustre l’exploration par Jean Paul Lemieux de la figure humaine placée dans un vaste paysage ambigu, évoquant immobilité, introspection et humanisme.
Ces œuvres célèbrent la contribution exceptionnelle de la province à l’histoire de l’art canadien, dans sa recherche de beauté, son esprit d’expérimentation et la force durable de son identité. Le Québec a constamment été une force motrice, particulièrement dans les moments de changement et d’innovation artistique. Cowley Abbott est honoré de présenter cette sélection d’œuvres et a hâte d’accueillir les collectionneurs pour découvrir et enchérir sur ces chefs-d’œuvre lors de la vente aux enchères de maîtres canadiens du 26 novembre. Cliquez ici pour consulter le catalogue de la vente.
Join Art Specialist Katherine Meredith as she speaks with Simone Ludlow and Erika Veh, designers of handmade one-of-a-kind cushions using vintage fabrics. Their company Ludlow & Veh also offers interior design and art advisory consultations. With backgrounds in art history, auctions, design and marketing, they share Katherine’s passion for collecting art with patience and intention.
How would you describe your design style?
Slow design. Not all the same style, not all the same era. Balance, texture, layers, not matching, eclectic. We love including vintage pieces and antiques, something with a patina and a story to it. If you do it intentionally and lovingly, it will work. Never feel like something is done. There is an expression that goes something like- “a room is only finished when you run out of money!”
Where do you find inspiration?
Art, nature, travel, film. Pedro Pascal’s apartment in the recent film Materialists, and movies like Home Alone, The Shining, I am Love, and The Birdcage. We are inspired by place and time. Matisse interior paintings. Unusual colour combinations we spot on the street or in nature.
Why do you think original fine art is an important part of interior design?
It’s a layer that finishes everything. Art adds a depth and a tone of your own personality to your home. There is something lively to a home filled with original art. It takes emotion. You don’t want your house to look like a staged showroom, or the same as the house down the block. A mass-produced print from a box store doesn’t elicit pleasure, it just fills a wall. Art adds personality, meaning, joy.
What advice would you give to someone who is new to art collecting?
Buy what you love, and then your house will be a reflection of your personality. It doesn’t matter if the artist is new, local, unknown or from the past. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It should be something that speaks to you. Don’t set out to buy art that matches your decor. If you love it, it will work and you will find a place for it. Have a bit of patience. People want things so quickly and so effortlessly, but it means so much more when you take your time and put effort into it, and it shows. You feel better about it because it’s a reflection of you.
How do you approach auctions specifically, in comparison to other ways of acquiring art? Do you find any advantages or challenges?
Advantages: you see such a broader scope of art, and artists you wouldn’t normally see or necessarily seek out. Better value. There’s no inflated art gallery commission – the price is what the market will stand.
Challenges: the high volume of artwork – you have to have the patience to look through the entire listing. Everything at auctions is framed “as-is” and it can be difficult to imagine a work in a new frame that is better suited to your space. But framing is everything and can really transform the art and the room!
If you could choose any artworks from Canadian art history to put in your own living room, what would you choose and why?
Erika: There are many Canadian artists I admire and support. If I have to select just one piece – I would have to say Horse and Train (1954) by Alex Colville. Its haunting simplicity captures the tension between nature and machine, which feels very relevant at this time in the world. It also evokes a sense of Romanticism in the solitary, noble horse confronting the unstoppable force of modernity. A reminder that life is constantly moving, changing, and that inevitably time escapes us all.
Simone: This is almost impossible to answer, so I’m simply going with immediate impulses. I love Alex Colville, and I especially love his works featuring dogs, so perhaps Stove. It’s such an intimate and tender piece, and it captures so well the simple (and magical) joy of sharing your life with a dog.
The original Stove painting resides in a private collection. A serigraph was sold by Cowley Abbott in 2018.
I also love Jessie Oonark, so almost anything by her. I love her use of colour, and the bold, graphic nature of her work.
Untitled by Jessie Oonark. Sold by Cowley Abbott in 2014.
Margaux Williamson’s more recent works of interiors are also favourites. As I mentioned before, I gravitate to pieces featuring interiors, and Margaux’s are so interesting and I find them entirely captivating.
And I mean, who wouldn’t want a Lawren Harris iceberg?
If you could choose any artworks from ALL of art history to put in your own living room, what would you choose and why?
Simone: This is truly an impossible question! Based entirely on immediate instincts – The Little Street by Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum. I also have always loved David Hockney; he’s so joyful and loves life, and that is so apparent through his work. I saw his recent retrospective in Paris, and I am particularly drawn to the paintings of his home in LA and his British landscapes. Paul Nash’s 1930’s painting Harbour and Room at Tate Modern has also been a constant fascination. I also absolutely love the art and design from the turn-of-the-century Vienna Secession movement led by Gustav Klimt.
Erika: If I could select a piece of art for my home, it would be Sonia Delaunay’s Electric Prisms (1914). I had the pleasure of viewing it in New York, Guggenheim’s exhibition “Harmony and Dissonance: Orphism in Paris 1910-1930”. Both the scale and bold rhythmic motions of colour have stayed with me ever since. I have also always carried the same admiration for the Nike of Samothrace at the Louvre, a timeless emblem of victory, hope and forward momentum.
Which artworks from our September online auction do you have your eye on? And how would you style them in a room?
Simone: What a wealth of beauty to choose from! One selection would be Lawren Harris’ Study of a Verandah. I love witnessing the traces of an artist’s process, and in this piece the sketches of the trees and the script on the paper’s reverse delight me. The verandah itself is also so inviting – the architecture draws the viewer in. I would love to sit there and have a glass of wine.
Lot 199. Lawren Harris, Study of a Verandah. Graphite. Estimate: $3,000 – $4,000
I also gravitate to Fortin’s Montréal. I love his use of colour and the somewhat chaotic, dense scene he has created. I went to school in Montréal, and this piece evokes the feeling of the city for me – layered, busy, a bit gritty, beautiful, full of life.
Lot 125. Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Montréal. Watercolour. Estimate: $10,000-15,000
I also must include some more graphic pieces – I always love them for balance. The colours in Fly me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra (who knew?) are beautiful, and I appreciate the feeling of motion that it suggests. Philomène by Jacques Hurtubise echoes the Sinatra piece in an interesting way, and I would love them displayed together. The blue and red are arresting, and I love their juxtaposition with the off-white ground.
Lot 17. Frank Sinatra, Fly Me To The Moon. Colour lithograph. Estimate: $900-1,200
Erika: I am in love with Jim Ritchie’s female figure sculpture from the Quebec lot! It inspires me because it reminds me of the beauty, resilience and softness I recognize in the women I cherish in my life.
I also have a black and white striped marble plinth where this sculpture would look so stunning!
Lot 152. Jim Ritchie, Female Figure; Cubist Nude. Bronze sculpture; pastel on paper. Estimate: $900-1,200
What I love about Winter Sleighing Scene by A.Y. Jackson is that, while the artist captures a distinctly Canadian winter scene, he departs from the expected palette of icy blues and greys, choosing instead a feminine blush for the sleigh and lively touches of pink in the trees. A choice that brings unexpected warmth and a smile to the winter scene.
I was also drawn to Fly Me To The Moon by Sinatra for its bold shapes and vibrant interplay of colour, which is a style reminiscent of one of my favourite short lived art movements; Orphism – with its rhythmic energy and sense of movement. And perhaps also because the artist was also the infamous crooner!
For more information on Ludlow & Veh, check out their website and Instagram. And for further conversation on collecting art with intention, join Simone, Erika and the Cowley Abbott team for our 5 à 7 on Thursday, September 11th. RSVP at collect@cowleyabbott.ca.
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.
In the years following the end of World War II, several major art movements emerged in the United States. Abstract Expressionism began in the 1940s and was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the centre of the Western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris. Developing out of Abstract Expressionism came Color-Field painting, but also other movements that were anti-abstraction, such as Pop Art and Conceptual Art. The June Online Auction of Modern & Contemporary Art features some excellent examples of these various movements and their connections with each other.
Josef Albers was a famous German-American abstract artist and colour theorist. He studied and taught at the Bauhaus school in the 1920s, then moved to the United States after the Nazi regime closed the school in 1933. He first taught painting at Black Mountain College in North Carolina and later became the head of the design program at Yale University. In 1963, he published a very influential book, Interaction of Color, about studying and teaching colour through experience. Albers was instrumental in bringing the tenets of European modernism, particularly those associated with the Bauhaus, to America. His legacy as an artist, teacher and colour theorist profoundly influenced the development of modern art in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s.
Albers is best known for his iconic coloured square paintings and prints, also known as his Homage to the Square series. Albers explored chromatic interactions with nested squares in this rigorous series, which he started in 1949. Each painting and print consist of three or four squares of solid planes of color nested within one another, and in a square format. Lot 201 is part of a series printed in Paris, so it has a French title: Hommage au carré. Albers signed and dated it 1964, however, it was only published in 1965.
Robert Motherwell was an American abstract expressionist artist and one of the youngest of the New York School, which included painters such as Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko. Trained in philosophy, Motherwell was regarded as among the most articulate spokesmen for abstract art, and his paintings and prints often touched on political, philosophical and literary themes.
Many people do not know that Motherwell is also known for his work in printmaking. Lot 243, Harvest, with Orange Stripe, is part of his Summer Light Series from the 1970s. This major series, in collaboration with Gemini studio in L.A., allowed him to reintroduce collage into his printing practice. Motherwell continued the Cubist tradition of incorporating everyday materials into collages, such as newspapers, or in this instance, cigarette labels.
Tom Wesselmann was a key figure in the development of the American Pop Art movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Pop Art emerged as a revolt against the elitism of museums and abstract art of the time. Instead, artists purposely chose subjects found in everyday life that have mass appeal: Hollywood films, advertising, pop music and comic books. In Lot 222, Still Life with Lilies and Mixed Fruit, Wesselmann has contrasted the traditional still life subject matter with a flat, colourful and cartoonish design that is quintessential to Pop Art.
Another art movement that emerged in opposition to abstraction was Conceptual Art. California-based artist John Baldessari started as a semi-abstract painter in the 1950s but grew so disenchanted with his own handiwork, that in 1970 he decided to take his paintings to a San Diego funeral home and cremate them. From then on, he explored a wide range of media, often combining images and the associative power of language and never taking himself too seriously. Lot 244, The First $100,000 I Ever Made, is a prime example of his humorous approach, with the title serving as a double entendre. The work stems from Baldessari’s billboard of a gigantic representation of a $100,000 bill, which he displayed next to the High Line in New York City in December 2011.
The June Online Auction will close on Tuesday, June 27, starting at 2 pm EDT.
