Tag: Riopelle

Kurelek Artwork Commissioned for $250 Fetches $82,600 During Fall Live Auction
William Kurelek, Threshing Outfit Being Brought Lunch (1972)

November Auction of Important Canadian Art Includes Record-Breaking Sales of Work by Bertram Brooker, Ken Lochhead and Robert Gray Murray

Toronto, ON (November 20, 2018) – A never before seen painting by renowned Ukrainian-Canadian artist William Kurelek, Threshing Outfit Being Brought Lunch (1972), sold for $82,600 (including buyer’s premium), tens of thousands of dollars of above its original purchase price of $250. The painting made its auction debut this evening at Consignor Canadian Fine Art’s live auction event at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto, ON.

The painting was purchased directly from the artist in 1972, and remained within the owner’s family until its offering on Tuesday evening. Kurelek met the original owner, a Ukrainian-Canadian student who had just moved to Toronto, at an exhibition of his work at Isaacs Gallery. She indicated to the painter that she couldn’t afford to purchase any of the pieces on exhibit, so Kurelek offered to create a painting that she could afford. At her request, Kurelek painted a panoramic farm scene as a reminder of her family’s farm on the prairies; a connection that he shared with the owner, having a similar upbringing in rural Manitoba.

The auction highlights also included record-breaking sales of works by Ken Lochhead, Bertram Richard Brooker and Robert Gray Murray. Lochhead’s Colour Rotation (1964), a rare and monumental canvas by the celebrated modernist painter, sold for $54,280, doubling the previous auction record for the artist. Bertram Brooker’s, Delta Ice House, sold for $82,600, three times above its auction estimate ($25,000 – $35,000) and nearly doubling the artist’s previous auction record. Robert Gray Murray’s Burwash, a striking painted aluminum sculpture, fetched $28,320, more than doubling the previous auction record for the artist’s work.

Solid auction results were also achieved for:
- A.Y. Jackson, St. Irenée, Quebec, a classic and compelling Quebec winter village scene by the Group of Seven painter, sold for $94,000, more than double its opening bid
- A.J. Casson, Storm in the Cloche Hills, an exemplary 1951 dramatic landscape which was featured on the cover of the fall auction catalogue, sold for $118,000, almost doubling its opening bid
- Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Ste. Rose Paysage, the 1939 vivid Quebec landscape selling for $70,800
- William Perehudoff, AC-85-81, fetching $33,040, exceeding pre-sale expectation
- Bill Reid, Haida Medallion Brooch, fetching $29,500
- Jean Paul Riopelle, Sans titre, the 1965 work on paper by the Quebec abstract master fetching $23,600, exceeding the high-end of pre-sale expectation
- Maud Lewis, Red Sleigh on a Country Road, the early work by the Nova Scotia folk artist selling for $20,060, exceeding the high-end of expectation (one of three works by Lewis to perform strongly during the evening)
View full auction results by following this link.
November 20, 2018
Consignor’s Fall Live Auction & the Story of Abstract Art in Canada

William Perehudoff, AC-78-20

Auction Showcases Important Non-Figurative Works in Canadian Art History

Consignor’s Fall Live Auction of Canadian Art presents an impressive selection of abstract painting from artists across the country and through the decades. Early ventures into abstraction in Canada occurred in the 1920s and 1930s, although they were sporadic and inconsistent. These artists, notably Kathleen Munn, Bertram Brooker, Lawren Harris and Jock MacDonald, were heavily influenced by European artistic movements, namely Cubism, Surrealism and Symbolism. An examination of the abstract works in Consignor’s November sale can help illustrate the story of how abstraction emerged and developed throughout Canada in the following decades.

In the 1940s, Montreal gave rise to the highly-influential Automatistes, Canada’s first avant-garde art movement. Under the leadership of Paul-Émile Borduas, a group of young artists rebelled against their artistically conservative and politically and religiously repressive province. They strove for creative spontaneity, free from academic rules.

After reading André Breton’s “Le Surréalisme et la peinture” in 1945, Jean-Paul Riopelle was inspired to break away from tradition to pursue non-representational painting. The young artist created several small watercolours in the next two years, consisting of web-like black lines, inspired by Surrealism and Breton’s automatic writing techniques, such as Sans titre of 1946, lot 6 in Consignor’s November sale.

Another member of the Automatistes, Marcelle Ferron was encouraged by Borduas to abandon landscape painting in favour of a more radical abstraction. From 1946 to 1953, Ferron preferred a ‘sgraffito’ technique, applying multiple layers of pigment and scraping away between applications with a palette knife. This signature approach of Ferron is exemplified in the colourful layers of paint in Sans titre (1949), lot 101 in the Live Auction.

In the following decade abstraction spread across Canada. Toronto exploded as an art centre in the 1950s, largely influenced by the Abstract Expressionists in New York. Harold Town was a founder and member of the Painters Eleven, a group of Toronto abstract artists that exhibited together during the 1950s. Rich colour and thick paint application, as exemplified in Clandeboy Reprise (1959), lot 71, are characteristic of Town’s approach to abstraction, inspired by the New York School.

Contemporary artist Michael Snow exhibited in Toronto in the mid-to-late 1950s at the Greenwich Gallery. Though today he is known as a pioneer of conceptualist and multimedia art throughout the world, Snow’s work of these years were also heavily influenced by American abstract artists such as De Kooning, Kline, and Rothko. Off Minor (1958), lot 25 in Consignor’s November auction, exemplifies Snow’s affiliation with avant-garde abstract movements at the time, shortly prior to creating his famous Walking Woman Works.

A notable and influential group of Canadian abstract artists formed in Regina in the 1960s, known as the Regina Five. Founding member Ron Bloore was instrumental in starting the Emma Lake workshops as a way for practising artists to break from the artistic isolation they felt in the prairies. As a professor of art history and archaeology, the influence of archeological excavation and ancient civilizations worked their way into Bloore’s painting.The monochromatic palette of Untitled, lot 86, references the white marble buildings and sculptures of ancient Greece and the Classical period.

During the Emma Lake Artists’ Workshops held in 1962-63, Saskatchewan artist William Perehudoff was introduced to Post-Painterly Abstraction by art critic Clement Greenberg and American artist Kenneth Noland. Many of the artist’s wide horizontal canvases of the mid-to-late 1970s are composed of vibrant parallel bands of colour, such as AC-78-20, lot 11 in the live auction. The effect of the flat plains and open skies that are so dramatically present throughout Saskatchewan is often detectable in Perehudoff’s work – AC-78-20 may be evocative of a prairie sunset.

Jack Shadbolt was an innovative and dominant figure in the Vancouver art scene beginning in the 1940s. Shadbolt drew from many sources of inspiration, including Cubism, Surrealism, American Regionalism and Northwest Coast art. The artist met Emily Carr in 1930 while attending Victoria College. Carr left a strong impression on Shadbolt’s life and work; they were both inspired by the spiritual unity with nature that is apparent in Northwest Coast art. Sea Edge 5 (1978), lot 9, is exemplary of Jack Shadbolt’s bold and colourful work of the late seventies. Sea Edge 5 serves as part of a series on the theme of abstracted seascapes, and Contexts: Variations on Primavera Theme, lot 10, is one of 15 hand-painted posters of the ‘primavera’ theme, which together form a mosaic-like mural.

Abstract painting in Canada has continued to evolve through a multitude of approaches in the 1970s, 80s and through to today. Lot 8, Rituel, by Léon Bellefleur, Lot 31, Spring Yellows – B by Gershon Iskowitz, and Lot 103, Les feuilles d’un astre by Jean-Paul Jérôme, among many other non-figurative artworks in Consignor’s Fall Live Auction, demonstrate the enduring development of unique abstract styles throughout the country, from the ‘gestural’ to the ‘hard-edge’. Visit our gallery and view the full catalogue on the Consignor website for more artworks and details regarding the Fall Live Auction of Important Canadian Art on November 23rd at the Gardiner Museum.

November 13, 2017
La vente d’automne de Consignor et l’histoire de l’art abstrait au Canada

William Perehudoff, AC-78-20

Chefs-d’œuvre d’art non-figuratifs au cœur de la vente en salle

La vente automnale d’art canadien de Consignor présente une sélection impressionnante d’oeuvres abstraites d’artistes à travers le pays et à travers les époques. Les premières incursions dans l’abstraction au Canada ont eu lieu durant les années 1920 et 1930, bien qu’elles aient été sporadiques et incohérentes. Ces artistes, notamment Kathleen Munn, Bertram Brooker, Lawren Harris et Jock MacDonald, ont été fortement influencés par les mouvements artistiques européens, à savoir le cubisme, le surréalisme et le symbolisme. Un examen des œuvres abstraites qui feront partie de la vente de novembre de Consignor peut servir comme illustration historique de la façon dont l’abstraction est apparue et s’est développée à travers le Canada au cours des décennies qui ont suivi.

Durant les années 1940, Montréal a donné naissance aux Automatistes, le premier mouvement artistique « avant-garde » au Canada. Sous la direction de Paul-Émile Borduas, un groupe de jeunes artistes s’est rebellé contre leur province artistiquement conservatrice, ainsi que politiquement et religieusement répressive. Après la lecture de « Le Surréalisme et la peinture » d’André Breton en 1945, Jean-Paul Riopelle a décidé de rompre avec la tradition afin de poursuivre la peinture non-figurative. Au cours des deux prochaines années, le jeune artiste crée plusieurs aquarelles de petite taille et composées de lignes entrelacées, tel que Sans titre (1946), lot 6 dans la vente de novembre de Consignor. Ces oeuvres ont étées inspirées du surréalisme et des techniques d’écriture automatique de Breton.

Un autre membre des Automatistes, Marcelle Ferron a également été encouragée par Borduas à abandonner la peinture de paysage en faveur d’une abstraction plus radicale. De 1946 à 1953, Ferron préfère une technique de « sgraffito » : elle a appliqué plusieurs couches de pigments et gratté la surface avec un couteau à palette entre chaque application. Ce style personnel de Ferron est apparent dans les couches de peinture colorées de Sans titre (1949), lot 101 dans la vente aux enchères.

Au cours de la décennie suivante, l’abstraction s’est répandue à travers le Canada. Toronto a explosé en tant que centre d’art dans les années 1950, largement influencée par les expressionnistes abstraits de New York. Harold Town était membre fondateur du « Painters Eleven », un groupe d’artistes abstraits de Toronto qui ont exposé ensemble durant les années 1950. Les couleurs vivantes et les coups de pinceaux épais, comme illustrés dans Clandeboy Reprise (1959), lot 71, sont caractéristiques du style de Town, inspiré par le « New York School ».

L’artiste contemporain Michael Snow exposait du milieu à la fin des années 1950 au Greenwich Gallery à Toronto. Bien qu’aujourd’hui il est reconnu mondialement comme un pionnier de l’art conceptualiste et multimédia, le travail de Snow de ces années a également été fortement influencé par les artistes abstraits américains tels que De Kooning, Kline et Rothko. Off Minor (1958), le lot 25 dans la vente aux enchères de Consignor en novembre, démontre l’affiliation de Snow avec les mouvements abstraits d’avant-garde de l’époque, peu avant la création de ses célèbres « Walking Woman Works ».

Un groupe notable d’artistes abstraits canadiens s’est formé à Regina dans les années 1960, connu sous le nom de Regina Five. Ron Bloore, membre fondateur, a joué un rôle déterminant dans le lancement de l’École des beaux-arts d’Emma Lake afin de permettre aux artistes de rompre avec l’isolement qu’ils ressentaient dans les Prairies. En tant que professeur d’histoire de l’art et d’archéologie, l’influence des fouilles archéologiques et des civilisations anciennes a fait son chemin dans la peinture de Bloore. La palette monochrome de Untitled, lot 86, fait référence aux bâtiments et sculptures en marbre blanc de la Grèce antique et de la période classique.

Durant les sessions à Emma Lake tenus en 1962-1963, l’artiste de la Saskatchewan William Perehudoff a été présenté à « Post-Painterly Abstraction » par le critique d’art Clement Greenberg et l’artiste américain Kenneth Noland. Plusieures des grandes toiles horizontales de Perehudoff du milieu à la fin des années 1970 sont composées de bandes de couleurs vibrantes et parallèles, tel que AC-78-20, lot 11 dans la vente aux enchères. Dans les travaux de Perehudoff, la référence aux plaines et aux ciels ouverts de la Saskatchewan est souvent détectable – AC-78-20 peut évoquer un coucher de soleil dans les prairies.

Jack Shadbolt était une figure novatrice et dominante de la scène artistique de Vancouver à partir des années 1940. Shadbolt a tiré de nombreuses sources d’inspiration, y compris le cubisme, le surréalisme, le régionalisme américain et l’art de la côte du Nord-Ouest. L’artiste a rencontré Emily Carr en 1930 alors qu’il fréquentait Victoria College. Cette dernière a laissé une forte impression sur la vie et le travail de Shadbolt; ils ont tous deux été inspirés par l’unité spirituelle avec la nature qui se manifeste dans l’art de la côte du Nord-Ouest. Sea Edge 5 (1978), lot 9, sert comme exemple du travail audacieux et coloré de Jack Shadbolt de la fin des années 1970, et Contexts: Variations on Primavera Theme, lot 10, est l’une des quinze affiches peintes à la main avec le thème « primavera ». Ensemble, ces quinze affiches forment une murale.

La peinture abstraite au Canada a continué d’évoluer à travers une multitude d’approches dans les années 1970, 1980 et aujourd’hui. Lot 8, Rituel, de Léon Bellefleur, Lot 31, Spring Yellows – B de Gershon Iskowitz, et Lot 103, Les feuilles d’un astre de Jean-Paul Jérôme, parmi beaucoup d’autres œuvres d’art non-figuratives dans la vente automnale de Consignor, démontrent le développement de styles abstraits uniques dans l’ensemble du pays, du style « gestural » au « hard-edge ». Visitez notre galerie et consultez le catalogue complet sur le site internet de Consignor pour plus d’œuvres d’art et de détails concernant la vente automnale d’art canadien, laquelle se tiendra le 23 novembre au musée Gardiner.

November 13, 2017
Collectable Prints Featured in Consignor’s September Auction

Within the broad practice of printmaking are several distinct techniques, many of which are included in the Consignor September Auction.

Consignor’s current Online Auction of Canadian and International art, consisting of 239 lots, offers a vast range of artwork for sale in various media – oil paintings, photography, sculpture and prints.

Collecting prints is an excellent way to start or build a comprehensive art collection, as well as a way to familiarize oneself with styles and artists at a more accessible price point than other mediums.

Many artists of the Post-War period embraced printmaking, creating images of their modern compositions in multiple copies. Leader of the abstract colourist movement, Rita Letendre produced many silkscreen prints, such as Sharas, lot 56. Also known as serigraphy or screen printing, the silkscreen process consists of a stencilled image placed in a frame, which has a layer of mesh stretched across it, forming a ‘screen’. Ink is then pushed through the stencil onto a sheet of paper. Dating to 1973, Letendre’s Sharas serves as a prime example of her signature style of hard-edge abstraction.

Lithography has also been a popular printmaking method among 20th century Canadian artists. Jean Paul Riopelle frequently worked in this medium, creating abstract and quasi-abstract images such as Les Oies II, lot 58 in the September auction. In this process the artist draws an image onto stone with a grease-based medium, then applies ink to the stone, which adheres only to the image. The stone is then run through a press onto a sheet of paper. The online auction features two lots of rare black and white lithographs by Henri Masson of Quebec village scenes. These charming prints, lots 91 and 92, are examples of the artist’s very limited body of work in printmaking.

A very old form of printmaking that is still used today is etching. Using a needle, the artist scratches a composition onto a metal plate covered with wax. The plate is then submerged in acid, which eats into the metal exposed by the scratched lines. Etching has often been used to achieve very delicate black and white images, such as lot 155 by Caroline Armington, a pair of etchings depicting two of Paris’ famous bridges. A more contemporary rendering of the etching technique is lot 54, Cycle by contemporary Canadian artist Ed Bartram.

Purchasing prints at auction are also an excellent and accessible way to collect the work Canada’s most renowned artists. Lots 64, 81 and 90 by William Kurelek, Harold Town and Ted Harrison respectively, provide the opportunity to own a composition in these painters’ distinct styles, as their prints are more readily-available and affordable when compared to original works.

Consignor’s September Auction of Canadian and International art includes many excellent examples of traditional printmaking methods used by Canadian artists. Buying prints at auction is also a fantastic platform for the emerging collector. Visit our website and view our full online catalogue for more details on the available works and upcoming sales.

September 11, 2017
Important Sketch by J.E.H. MacDonald Marks Early Example of Budding Friendship with Lawren Harris
Tom Thomson, Jean Paul Riopelle, and a well-known work by Jock MacDonald Featured at Consignor’s Fall Live Auction on November 22nd

(Toronto – November 7, 2016) – Following Consignor Canadian Fine Art’s highly successful live auction debut in May 2016 (that included a record-breaking sale of Lawren Harris’s Algoma Sketch 48), the auction house launches its second live auction event featuring an exciting catalogue of important Canadian works, to be held at the historic Berkeley Church in downtown Toronto on November 22, 2016. A 1912 sketch by founding Group of Seven member and one of Canada’s most celebrated painters, J.E.H. MacDonald, Tracks and Traffic (auction estimate: $200,000 to $250,000), will anchor the auction.

Tracks and Traffic is a sketch of the well-known canvas that is currently part of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s (AGO) collection, and was recently included in the Toronto showing of the Steve Martin-curated exhibition, The Idea of North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris. The work provides a glimpse of what the city of Toronto looked like over a century ago, and depicts a scene of the harbourfront neighbourhood at the intersection of Bathurst Street and Front Street during the industrial period.

It is well known that MacDonald was one of Lawren Harris’s closest friends and the pair often painted together in Toronto. Tracks and Traffic was created just months after the two artists met in late 1911, and eight years before the formation of the Group of Seven. Harris also sketched this scene from another angle, suggesting that the friends could have been together during the painting expedition. If so, the sketch would mark one of the very first examples of members of the Group of Seven painting together.

“We’re thrilled to follow up on the success of our inaugural live auction, with a strong offering of exemplary artworks by many of Canada’s most beloved artists,” said Rob Cowley, President of Consignor Canadian Fine Art. “The fall catalogue features many artworks hitting the auction block for the first time and we anticipate there will be a great appetite for these works among collectors.”

Auction Debuts and Highlights:
- DEBUT – An important canvas by Painters Eleven founding member Jock MacDonald, Daybreak from his Modality series (auction estimate: $70,000 to $90,000)
- 1962 canvas by internationally celebrated Quebec painter, Jean Paul Riopelle, Forteresse (auction estimate: $140,000 to $180,000)
- 1912 painting by Tom Thomson, Country Landscape with Stream (Huntsville) (auction estimate: $90,000 to $120,000)
- DEBUT – Two works by Group of Seven member Franklin Carmichael, owned by a descendent of the artist. Bracken, Lansing oil on panel (auction estimate: $60,000 to $80,000); and a Carmichael watercolour, Forest Landscape (auction estimate: $40,000 to $60,000)
- A large-scale painting by artist Ted Harrison, who passed away in 2015, The Grecian House (auction estimate: $45,000 to $60,000)
- Several notable works by William Kurelek including the mixed media painting, Russian Thistles Migrating (auction estimate: $60,000 to $80,000); and Candy Floss Clouds, painted the year of his death (auction estimate: $30,000 to $40,000)
- DEBUT – A charming 1907 painting of a mother and child by J.E.H. MacDonald titled A Hill Path, High Park (auction estimate: $20,000 to $30,000). The painting is believed to have been a gift from MacDonald to Albert H. Robson, a Canadian art author, historian and former VP of the Art Gallery of Toronto (now the AGO) more than a century ago. The painting, owned by the family of Albert H. Robson, is offered for sale for the first time.
- Four paintings by Group of Seven member A.J. Casson including Lumber Mill, 1935 (auction estimate: $35,000 to $45,000)
- A large-scale work from Harold Town’s highly acclaimed Tyranny of the Corner series, the Hypothesis Set (auction estimate: $20,000 to $30,000)
To preview the full catalogue online, go to www.consignor.ca. Live previews will take place until November 21 at the Consignor Canadian Fine Art Gallery located at 326 Dundas Street West. Consignor’s Fall Auction of Important Canadian Art will be held on Tuesday, November 22, 7:00 pm at the Berkeley Church, located at 315 Queen St. E. in Toronto, ON.

Since its inception in 2013, Consignor’s auctions have included headline-grabbing and record-breaking works including Algoma Sketch 48, a rare Lawren Harris preparatory oil sketch that debuted on the auction block at Consignor’s inaugural live auction event in May 2016 and set the record for the highest-selling Algoma sketch ($977,500) by the artist at auction. Other highlights include a 100-year-old Tom Thomson portrait (Daydreaming, sold for $172,500) and an undiscovered William Kurelek (Ukrainian Proverb, sold for $41,400, well above its estimated value). Consignor’s offering of Jack Bush’s Summer Lake broke online auction records in May 2014 for the most expensive painting by a Canadian artist to be sold at an online auction ($310,500), and its June 2014 auction saw eight artists’ records broken.

Consignor is also holding an online December Auction of Artwork, from December 7-14, 2016. Consignor offers all-inclusive selling commissions and the lowest Buyer’s Premium in the industry. Those interested in consignment can arrange a complimentary and confidential consultation by contacting Consignor’s specialists at 1-866-931-8415 or [email protected]. Consignor is currently accepting artwork for inclusion in its Spring 2017 auctions.

Consignor Canadian Fine Art is a partnership between art auction veterans Rob Cowley, Lydia Abbott and Ryan Mayberry (Partner at Mayberry Fine Art and Founder of Consignor.ca). Cowley and Abbott became principals in the venture with Ryan Mayberry, taking Consignor.ca from its original form, as a branch of Mayberry Fine Art, to a separate company focusing on auctions of Canadian art.
November 7, 2016