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Toronto, ON, April 27, 2011
Highlights:
- Seminal Canadian works from the estate of Edgar and Dorothy Davidson, which they purchased for an initial outlay of about $30,000, will headline Heffel's multi-million dollar Canadian Art Auction.
- Previews to be held in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in advance of the live auction in Vancouver on May 17, will display works which have not been seen by the public for generations.
- Heffel Fine Art Auction House has conducted all 10 of the top 10 grossing live auctions of Canadian art in our nation's history - and this one is set to break additional records.
- Two rare early E.J. Hughes paintings from the Collection of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia are projected to smash records.
On May 17, Heffel Fine Art Auction House will hold the sale of masterworks from the Estate of Edgar and Dorothy Davidson, as well as from the estates of Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton and Andrée Lavigne-Trudeau, Pierre Elliott Trudeau's sister-in-law.
The spring auction includes works from artists such as the Group of Seven's A.Y. Jackson and Lawren Harris, West Coast artist Emily Carr as well as Quebec's Jean-Paul Riopelle, Jean Paul Lemieux and Paul-Émile Borduas. In all, the 168 lots, from visual artists that have defined Canadian art throughout its history, are expected to achieve between $8 and $12 million, according to conservative estimates.
If projections hold, the Heffel spring auction will place within the top 10 grossing auctions of Canadian work of all time. To date, Heffel Fine Art Auction House - created in 1995 by the Heffel Gallery - has conducted all 10 of the top 10 grossing live auctions of Canadian art in Canada's history.
Heffel's staggering success has not only promoted the work of Canadian artists to local collectors, but expanded the profile of our country's most significant artists on the world art stage. Heffel is the only auction house to advertise Canadian art auctions abroad and has seen a steady increase of international buyers attending their auctions.
"The remarkable Estate of Edgar and Dorothy Davidson is the crown jewel of Heffel Fine Art Auction House's upcoming two-session sale containing gems of Canadian art history never seen before at an auction," said David Heffel, President of Heffel Fine Art Auction House. "From Jean Paul Lemieux's stunning 1966 figure Dimanche to the equally beautiful 1964 piece Les Moniales, the Davidsons purchased bold, leading-edge Canadian modernist works right at the time the pieces were being created, putting them far ahead of the curve." From an initial outlay of about $30,000, the 34 lots on auction from the Davidson estate are expected to reach a combined total of $2.5 - 3.5 million.
Two Separate Sessions that Span the Complete History of Canadian Art
The Heffel spring auction is being divided into two sessions: Canadian Post-War & Contemporary Art, immediately followed by the Fine Canadian Art session. Heffel was the first auction house in Canada to split historical and contemporary Canadian Art into separate sales and is the only one that produces separate catalogues for each session.
Additional highlights on auction include:
- Five works by Jean-Paul Riopelle including his large scale Sans titre from 1955, estimated at $900,000 - $1.2 million. Riopelle currently holds the record for the highest price for a post-war work of art sold in Canada at $1,667,500, set when Heffel's sold Il était une fois une ville in 2006
- Two of E.J. Hughes's most iconic paintings from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia: Coastal Boats Near Sidney, BC from 1948 (est. $700,000 - $900,000) which was featured on the cover of the Vancouver Art Gallery's major 2002 E.J. Hughes exhibition catalogue, and Mouth of the Courtenay River from 1952 (est. $500,000 - $700,000).
- Five pieces by Emily Carr including Trees in the Wind Circle from 1938, (est. $125,000 - $175,000) and Gnarled Tree (est. 200,000 - $300,000), a strong example of her early vibrant work and our catalogue cover art.
- A virtual 'who's-who' of living Canadian artists including Gordon Smith, David Blackwood, Kent Monkman, Rita Letendre, Takao Tanabe, Christopher Pratt, Daphne Odjig and Alex Colville. Heffel currently holds the title for the highest value ever achieved in Canada at an auction for a work by a living Canadian painter for an Alexander Colville painting entitled Man on Verandah, sold in November 2010 for $1,287,000.
- From the Estate of Montreal collector Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton - works by the Group of Seven's Lawren Harris, including the stunning Rockies painting Mountains, Jasper (est. $100,000 - $150,000).
- Works from the Estate of Andrée Lavigne-Trudeau, who was married to the brother of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. They include The Sound, by modernist Charles Gagnon and Jean-Paul Mousseau's fibreglass and resin Suspended Lamp, a piece which embodies the unique culture of 1960s Montreal.
Heffel's Spring 2011 Auction Schedule
To give interested buyers from across Canada a chance to view these extraordinary pieces, many on display for the first time in generations, the collection is being previewed in three cities:
- Montreal Preview - April 28 to April 30 at Galerie Heffel Montreal, 1840 Sherbrooke Street West
- Toronto Preview - May 5 to May 7 at Heffel Gallery Toronto, 13 Hazelton Avenue
- Vancouver Preview - May 13 to May 17 at Heffel Gallery Vancouver, 2247 Granville Street
- Live Auction (Vancouver) - Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at Vancouver Convention Centre West, 1055 Canada Place
- 4:00 pm PDT, Canadian Post-War & Contemporary Art
- 7:00 pm PDT, Fine Canadian Art
For more details on the previews and live auction, and access to the online catalogues, visit www.heffel.com.
About Heffel Fine Art Auction House
Founded in Vancouver, BC, Heffel Fine Art Auction House has conducted all 10 of the most valuable live auctions of Canadian art. The auction house is led by an experienced team of fine art specialists and has national presence with offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Calgary. As the industry leader, Heffel holds over 60 percent market share of worldwide Canadian art auction sales, with over $260 million in art auction sales since 1995. Heffel publishes its entire live auction online at www.heffel.com, from initial promotion and illustrated lot listings to the auction's live multi-camera web cast and final sale results.
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