News Release

Heffel's Two Auctions Serve Up $12 to $15 Million
in Fine Canadian Art on May 26

VANCOUVER - April 29, 2010

Prominent estates of exceptional works will highlight Heffel Fine Art Auction's spring sale, which is expected to be one of the top 10 grossing auctions in Canadian fine art history. On May 26, Heffel Fine Art Auction House will hold its two-session live auction of Canadian Post-War & Contemporary Art at 4 p.m. followed by Fine Canadian Art at 7 p.m., at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. Together, the two sales are estimated at $12 to $15 million.

Lawren Stewart Harris
Bylot Island I The auction features works from multiple prominent estates and important private collections. This spring, Heffel Fine Art Auction House will feature works from the estates of architect Arthur Erickson, Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton and a Canadian philanthropist, who wishes to remain anonymous. The works from these fine, privately built collections include a variety of outstanding paintings, sculptures and drawings. Proceeds from the philanthropist's collection will be donated to several Canadian charities.

"To have three major collections of exceptional works in the same auction is rare for us," says David Heffel, President, Heffel Fine Art Auction House. "We are honoured to feature work from Arthur Erickson's and Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton's estates and we expect heavy bidding for many of those rare, quality lots."

Continuing in Heffel's tradition of selling the Group of Seven, Tom Thomson and Emily Carr for record prices, Heffel's session of Fine Canadian Art will start at 7 p.m. on May 26. This auction will bring to the market important works by an impressive showcase of pivotal Canadian historical and Modernist/Impressionist artists. It has an estimate of $10 to $12 million.

Arthur Lismer
The Sheep's Nose, Bon Echo Works featured in the Fine Canadian Art session are by distinguished artists such as W.J. Phillips, Emily Carr, Helen McNicoll, Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, A.Y. Jackson, Edwin Holgate, Albert Robinson, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. MacDonald, Kathleen Morris, A.J. Casson, and Tom Thomson, to list a few.

The sale includes a striking oil on canvas by Lawren Harris titled Bylot Island I, consigned from a Canadian philanthropist. Painted circa 1930 - 1931, this rare large (32 by 45 inch) masterpiece has an estimate of $1.5 to $2.5 million. When Harris painted Bylot Island I, his style increasingly embraced a more refined, simplified, geometric and abstract manner - a style that suited the Arctic perfectly. Harris used pure cobalt blue as his ground colour in the mountain forms and painted features overtop using golden yellows and warm earthy umbers to create a mesmerizing effect. Harris's Arctic works are often considered the triumph of his landscape period.

Nine Harris works will be up for bid in the second session, seven of which are part of the Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton Estate. Among the lots are Winter, an oil on board, signed and dated 1914, that has an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000, Arctic Sketch IX, an oil on board with an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000, and Mountain Sketch LXX, an oil on board with an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton believed she had similar perspectives to Harris. There was an instant connection and mutual understanding between the two, resulting in her collecting many of his best paintings.

Emily Carr
Emily and Lizzie "Theodosia's connection to her art collection ties her childhood experiences and her love of the natural landscape of Canada together," says David Heffel, President of Heffel Fine Art Auction House. "Over her lifetime she built a remarkable collection of Canadian art including works by Lawren Harris, Arthur Lismer, Anne Savage, A.Y. Jackson and Albert Robinson to list a few." Lot 123, St-Urbain by Albert Robinson, estimated at $300,000 - 500,000, should set a new record for the artist, and is one of the finest works in the Thornton collection.

The Sheep's Nose, Bon Echo by Arthur Lismer, lot 153 and reproduced on the Fine Canadian Art catalogue cover, is also expected to set a new record for the artist. This is a very rare opportunity for collectors to bid on one of the few Group of Seven period Lismer canvases in private hands. This canvas was one of only a few included in the famous Group of Seven 1922 exhibition at The Art Gallery of Toronto (now the Art Gallery of Ontario). A Lismer canvas of this level of importance has not been offered in the auction market since November 1987.

Ten Emily Carr paintings will be on the auction block as well as two small Klee Wyck pieces. Two standouts amongst the Carr works are Emily and Lizzie and Stumps, from the Clarke family of Clarke, Irwin & Company Limited, who published Carr's books. Emily and Lizzie, a 19 by 26 ¼ inch self-portrait of Carr and her sister, has a conservative estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. This painting, which depicts the two sisters sharing tea, is an outstanding example of Carr's brilliant French-influenced Impressionist work. Painted circa 1913, it also serves as a complex comment on Carr's personal and societal dilemma of women conforming to established expectations. Stumps, a 20 by 27 inch, oil on canvas, circa 1936, is a mature period Carr canvas. This superior and rare piece demonstrates Carr's great love of the West Coast forest, and illustrates how she worked on the leading edge of modernism in Canada. Stumps is reproduced in Hundreds and Thousands: The Journals of Emily Carr in the 1966 edition. The very best examples of Carr's work are reproduced in this book, including Stumps. This painting has a conservative estimate of $400,000 to $600,000.

Other Carr pieces up for auction include Forest Interior, an oil on paper, circa 1935, with an estimate of $60,000 - 80,000. Young Arbutus, an oil on paper on board, and West Coast Forest - Metchosin, an oil on paper on board, are also up for bid. Both paintings have estimates of $125,000 to $175,000.

"Carr's paintings in this sale, from her early watercolours such as The Quay, Alert Bay, to works such as Emily and Lizzie, to late masterpieces such as Stumps reveal an exploration of the life of a truly remarkable painter," says Robert Heffel, Vice-President of Heffel Fine Art Auction House. "We are happy to have Canada's first lady of fine art well represented in our spring auction."

Tom Thomson
Snow / Northern Mist
(verso) There are four Tom Thomson lots in this sale. Landscape with Snow / Northern Mist (verso), a double-sided oil on panel, circa 1916, has an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. This piece expands the parameters of what we know of Thomson's work, as it illustrates how he occasionally used both sides of his sketches to record scenes. Early Morning, Georgian Bay is an oil on board dated 1914, and is valued at $200,000 to $300,000. Clouds and Sky, an oil on board with an estimate of $70,000 to $90,000, is a subtle tonal study of Algonquin Park. A superb nocturne, Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park, an oil on canvas on board, has an estimate of $125,000 to $175,000.

The auction contains a strong selection of other works by Group of Seven artists as well. There are 20 works by A.Y. Jackson, including a rural barn scene - Grey Day, St-Urbain. This 21 by 26 1/4 inch oil on canvas was painted circa 1929 and is expected to sell for more than $250,000. Also included are 11 works by Arthur Lismer and five by A.J. Casson.

The first session of Canadian Post-War & Contemporary Art offers a wide range of impressive and influential pieces from artists working from 1945 to the present. Featured in the sale are such distinguished artists as B.C. Binning, E.J. Hughes, Takao Tanabe, Bill Reid, Gordon Smith, Jean McEwen, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Paul-Émile Borduas, Jack Shadbolt, Jack Bush, Rita Letendre and John Little, to list a few. The Canadian Post-War & Contemporary Art session has a conservative estimate of $2 to $3 million.

Bill Reid
Killer Whale
(Chief of the
Undersea World) One standout piece in the first session is a Bill Reid sculpture entitled Killer Whale (Chief of the Undersea World). This 1984 sculpture was created as an intermediate size editioned work based on one of Reid's best-known monumental works, the 1984 5.5 metre bronze killer whale entitled Chief of the Undersea World, which is installed at the Vancouver Aquarium. This is one of many Reid works that have helped bring widespread attention to First Nations artists in the Pacific Northwest. This 44 1/8 by 29 1/8 by 19 5/8 inch sculpture is projected to sell between $600,000 to $800,000.

Also included is a 1962 stunning red abstract oil on canvas by Jean McEwen, Rouge sur rouge, estimate $60,000 to $80,000, and William Ronald's spontaneous and sensual Untitled, a 1954 abstract oil on board. Another highlight is Paul-Émile Borduas's extraordinary canvas entitled Persistance des noirs, with its rich, thick layers of paint applied with gestural vitality, estimate $80,000 - $120,000.

Featured on the cover of the Canadian Post-War & Contemporary Art cover is Jean Paul Lemieux's Ti-Gus, a 1962 oil on canvas, estimate $150,000 to $250,000. This painting is a classic Lemieux with its haunting single figure against a simplified landscape - a universal and archetypal image.

E.J. Hughes
Tanker at Minstrel Island, BC Another outstanding work up for sale is E.J. Hughes's 1954 masterpiece Tanker at Minstrel Island, BC. Estimated at $175,000 - $225,000, this oil on canvas is signed and dated February 1954. The painting showcases Hughes's ability to use colour, line and composition to create an exciting and vital aesthetic experience that is timeless.

Other Hughes lots in the auction include The West Coast near Bamfield, an oil on canvas with a conservative estimate of $150,000 to $200,000, and Howe Sound from Gospel Rock, an etching with an estimate of $3,000 to $4,000, and Beside the Koksilah River, an oil on canvas with an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. The West Coast near Bamfield and Howe Sound from Gospel Rock are both a part of the Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton Estate.

Heffel Fine Art Auction House has the most experienced team of fine art specialists in the business, providing customers with the best opportunity for maximizing the value of their works. Heffel Fine Art Auction House has national presence with offices and galleries in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, and representatives in Calgary and London, England.

The Spring Auction consists of 222 works of art by Canada's greatest painters divided into two sessions. Information and the online version of the sale catalogues can be found at www.heffel.com.

Previews of the work are scheduled for:

• Montreal - May 6 - 8, 11 am - 6 pm, Galerie Heffel, 1840 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest
• Toronto - May 13 - 15, 11 am - 6 pm, Heffel Gallery, 13 Hazelton Avenue
• Vancouver - May 22 - 25, 11 am - 6 pm and May 26, 10 am - 12 pm, Heffel Gallery, 2247 Granville Street

The Spring Auction will take place at the Vancouver Convention Centre West, located at 1055 Canada Place. The first session begins at 4 p.m. and the second at 7 p.m.

For more information contact:

Robert Heffel: 604 732-6505 or 604 418-0100
robert@heffel.com

David Heffel: 604 732-6505 or 604 418-6505
david@heffel.com

Heffel Fine Art Auction House - Canada's National Fine Art Auction House