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By Randy Boswell, Canwest News Service
October 3, 2009
A stunning private collection of Canadian art worth as much as $8 million is to be auctioned off next month in Toronto, highlighted by Lawren Harris's final oil sketch for his iconic, full-canvas North Shore, Lake Superior - one of the National Gallery of Canada's most treasured paintings.
The collection is being offered from the estate of Helen Band, daughter of late Toronto businessman and arts patron Charles Band. He died in 1969 after acquiring numerous works from major international artists and Canada's own Group of Seven - including his childhood friend, Harris.
Four Harris paintings - three of which are valued at more than $1 million - are to be sold at a Heffel Fine Art auction on Nov. 26.
The Old Stump, Lake Superior - a sketch version of the identical scene depicted in Harris's famous North Shore, Lake Superior - has a high-end estimate of $2.5 million. Two of his other paintings - Iceberg, Baffin's Bay North and Houses, St. Patrick Street - are each expected to fetch as much as $1. 6 million.
The fourth Harris work, In Buchanan Bay, Ellesmere Island, is valued at between $550,000 and $750,000.
But there are other notable works among the 15 paintings and sculptures being sold from the Band collection. Frederick Varley's portrait of a reclining woman - Nude on a Couch - is expected to fetch as much as $500,000 and is described as being "among the very best" creations of Harris's fellow Group of Seven member.
Another Group of Seven "classic," a Lake Superior scene by A.Y. Jackson, is also valued in the $500,000 range.
"It is a humbling honour to be entrusted with works of such national importance," Heffel president David Heffel said in a statement.
"We are fully aware of the significance of these masterpieces to the Canadian art historical record. Each one is a gem of history, and we are thrilled to be working on the estate's behalf."
Many of the works have been exhibited over the years or loaned for extended display at major Canadian museums and galleries. But Robert Heffel, vice- president of the Vancouver-based auction, said first seeing the collection assembled at the Band family home in Toronto was an unforgettable experience.
"To hold the Lawren Harris - The Old Stump, Lake Superior - in my hand while we photographed and catalogued the work is something I will remember for the rest of my life," he told Canwest News Service.
He said Heffel's strong track record for selling paintings by the Group of Seven - including auction records for Harris, Varley and Jackson - helped the firm secure the right to sell the Hand collection.
"These works mark the birth of several Canadian icons," he noted in Heffel's announcement of the sale. "They represent critical points for Harris and Varley, and a classic moment for Jackson. The collection as a whole is remarkable."
Twelve works by Harris are currently among the 37 Canadian paintings that have fetched auction prices of more than $1 million. Three paintings joined the million-dollar club earlier this year when Emily Carr's Wind in the Treetops ($2.2 million), Tom Thomson's Birches and Cedar, Fall ($1.4 million) and Jean- Paul Riopelle's Jouet ($1.2 million) were sold at a Heffel auction in June.
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
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