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For Immediate Release
September 22, 2009
Heffel Fine Art Auction House is pleased to offer, as part of its November 26, 2009 sale of Fine Canadian Art, fifteen masterworks from the revered Band family collections. Long admired by Canadian art audiences, works from the Band collection have been part of exhibitions, catalogues and the art historical dialogue of this country since the early 1930s. Two works are the final oil sketches for the masterpieces North Shore, Lake Superior, and Icebergs, Davis Strait by Lawren Harris, now flagship works in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, respectively.
Heffel's is honoured to have been entrusted with the care and dissemination of fifteen masterworks from this collection including Lawren Harris's The Old Stump, Lake Superior, Houses, St. Patrick Street, In Buchanan Bay, Ellesmere Island and Iceberg, Baffin's Bay North, and A.Y. Jackson's 1925-1926 classic canvas North Shore, Lake Superior. "These works mark the birth of several Canadian icons," says Robert Heffel, Vice-President, Heffel Fine Art Auction House. "They represent critical points for Harris and Varley, and a classic moment for Jackson. The collection as a whole is remarkable."
Charles Band was a childhood friend of Lawren Harris, and married a daughter of one of the original founders of the Art Gallery of Ontario. These connections to the art world would lead to his avid collecting activities. Band built an important collection of paintings, drawings and sculpture including works by B.C. Binning, Paul-Émile Borduas, Emily Carr, Jean Dallaire, L.L. Fitzgerald, Lawren Harris, A.Y. Jackson, Jean Paul Lemieux, Arthur Lismer, Jock Macdonald, Henry Moore, Painters Eleven, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Gordon Smith, Frederick Varley and others.
Heffel's is cognizant of the importance of the works in this estate, which also include the stunning Nude on a Couch by Frederick Varley, considered to be among the very best of his paintings, A.Y. Jackson's magnificent 1925-1926 canvas North Shore, Lake Superior, an Emily Carr Klee Wyck ceramic bowl, the stunning B.C. Binning abstract Atomic Fountain, three very fine seashore scenes by Arthur Lismer: Maritime Still life, Cape Breton N.S., Killicks No. 1, Cape Breton Islands, N.S. and Sword Fishing Gear; a Harold Town compressed charcoal drawing of Jacqueline Kennedy, and a superb Henry Moore sculpture entitled Maquette for Figure on Steps.
It is through the estate of Charles Band's daughter, Helen E. Band, that Heffel's has been entrusted with these works. Helen was also an avid collector and generous donor. Taught by her father to embrace new ideas and abstraction, and above all, to give back to her community, Helen's Estate donated 138 works by 42 First Nations artists to the Thunder Bay Art Gallery in 1994, a monumental addition to a fledgling gallery. Works from her father's collection remained with her estate until this year when the estate selected Heffel Fine Art Auction House to manage their sale. "It is a humbling honour to be entrusted with works of such national importance," says David Heffel, President, Heffel Fine Art Auction House. "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."
The Bands were generous lenders and pleased to share their collection with others; ".collectors should be lenders," Charles said in 1955, "helping to give pleasure to others." Band certainly honoured this statement, as the lengthy and pedigreed exhibition history of many of these works proves. After his death, a substantial portion of his collection was donated to public institutions such as the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Band was a member of the Arts and Letters Club, an Officier de l'Academie française, and was named to the Order of Canada in 1969 for his contribution to the arts and philanthropic work. He served as Governor of the National Film Board of Canada, and worked actively to assist galleries in bringing international artists to Canada for exhibition. He served as President of the Art Gallery of Toronto (now the Art Gallery of Ontario) from 1945 to 1948 and again from 1964 to 1965.
Band was an avid traveler, and visited Jean-Paul Riopelle and Alfred Pellan in France, as well as Henry Moore in England. He believed the private collector was vital to the health of art in Canada, stating ". however excellent and well~supported our galleries are, the private collector ~ even on the smallest scale ~ is still vital to art. You may think that you can't become a collector ~ I'm inclined to disagree with you."
Band had a prominent career as a business executive working for the grain firm Carruthers and Company, Gutta Percha and Rubber Limited and the Canadian Surety Company, and also served as Director of many of these organizations, as well as Canada Permanent Trust and the British American Bank Note Company. Born in 1885 in Thorold, Ontario, Band died in 1969.
Auction date and preview schedule:
Auction
Thursday, November 26, 2009
4:00 PM, Canadian Post~War & Contemporary Art
7:00 PM, Fine Canadian Art
Park Hyatt Hotel
Queen's Park Ballroom
4 Avenue Road, Toronto
Preview at Heffel Gallery, Vancouver
2247 Granville Street
Saturday, October 31 through
Tuesday, November 3, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Preview at Galerie Heffel, Montreal
1840 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest
Thursday, November 12 through
Saturday, November 14, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Preview at Heffel Gallery, Toronto
13 & 14 Hazelton Avenue
Saturday, November 21 through
Wednesday, November 25, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Thursday, November 26, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
List of Band works to be offered November 26, 2009:
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Bertram Charles (B.C.) Binning
BCSFA CGP CSGA OC RAIC RCA 1909 ~ 1976
Atomic Fountain
oil on gesso panel, initialed BCB and on verso signed, titled on a label and inscribed CS Band twice, once on the label and once on the board, 1953
9 x 8 in, 22.9 x 20.3 cm
Estimate: $15,000 - 20,000
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Emily Carr
BCSFA RCA 1871 ~ 1945
Klee Wyck Ceramic Bowl
ceramic sculpture, signed Klee Wyck3
2 x 5 3/4 x 5 3/4 in, 5.1 x 14.6 x 14.6 cm
Estimate: $10,000 - 15,000
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Lawren Stewart Harris
ALC BCSFA CGP FCA G7 OSA RPS 1885 ~ 1970
Houses, St. Patrick Street
oil on canvas, signed and dated 1922 and on verso titled on the Art Gallery of Ontario label and the CNE label
32 1/2 x 40 1/4 in, 82.5 x 102.2 cm
Estimate: $1,200,000 - 1,600,000
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Lawren Stewart Harris
ALC BCSFA CGP FCA G7 OSA RPS 1885 ~ 1970
In Buchanan Bay, Ellesmere Island
oil on board, on verso signed, titled twice and inscribed in graphite: ""CS Band"", - 1930
12 x 15 in, 30.5 x 38.1 cm
Estimate: $550,000 - 750,000
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Lawren Stewart Harris
ALC BCSFA CGP FCA G7 OSA RPS 1885 ~ 1970
Iceberg, Baffin's Bay North
oil on board, on verso signed, titled twice and inscribed "owned by C.J. Harris" and in graphite: "C.S. Band", 1930
12 x 15 in, 30.5 x 38.1 cm
Please note that this is the oil sketch for the 1930 canvas entitled Icebergs, Davis Strait, in the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
Estimate: $1,200,000 - 1,600,000
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Lawren Stewart Harris
ALC BCSFA CGP FCA G7 OSA RPS 1885 ~ 1970
The Old Stump, Lake Superior
oil on board, on verso signed, titled the Artist's label "Old Stump, Lake Superior Sketch, 144" and titled variously on several Museum exhibition labels and inscribed C.S. Band in graphite on the artist's label, 1926
12 x 15 in, 30.5 x 38.1 cm
Please note that this is the oil sketch for the 1926 canvas entitled North Shore, Lake Superior, in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada.
Estimate: $2,000,000 - 2,500,000
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Alexander Young (A.Y.) Jackson
ALC CGP G7 OSA RCA RSA 1882 ~ 1974
North Shore, Lake Superior
oil on canvas, signed and on verso signed, dated 1926 and inscribed "Studio Bldg Severn St., Toronto" and "C.S. Band"
25 x 32 in, 63.5 x 81.3 cm
Estimate: $450,000 - 550,000
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Arthur Lismer
CGP CSGA CSPWC G7 OSA RCA 1885 ~ 1969
Maritime Still Life, Cape Breton, N.S.
oil on board, signed and dated 1946 and on verso signed, titled, dated on the artist's label and inscribed ""16""
12 x 16 in, 30.5 x 40.6 cm
Estimate: $20,000 - 30,000
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Arthur Lismer
CGP CSGA CSPWC G7 OSA RCA 1885 ~ 1969
Tree, Georgian Bay
ink and wash drawing, initialed and dated 1962 and on verso signed and inscribed "Helen & Charles Band from Arthure & Esther Lismer, Sept. 62"
9 1/2 x 7 in, 24.1 x 17.8 cm
Estimate: $1,500 - 2,000
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Arthur Lismer
CGP CSGA CSPWC G7 OSA RCA 1885 ~ 1969
Sword Fishing Gear
oil on board, signed, dated 1946 and inscribed ""Aug. 3rd Ingonish"" and on verso signed, titled, dated on an artist's label and inscribed ""Band"" in graphite
12 x 16 in, 30.5 x 40.6 cm
Estimate: $20,000 - 30,000
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Arthur Lismer
CGP CSGA CSPWC G7 OSA RCA 1885 ~ 1969
Killicks No. 1, Cape Breton Island, N.S
oil on board, signed and dated 1945 and on verso signed, titled, dated on the artist's label and inscribed cat. #122 and ""Band"" and inscribed in graphite ""Band Dec 49""
12 x 16 in, 30.5 x 40.6 cm
on verso a crayon and watercolour sketch
Estimate: $20,000 - 30,000
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Henry Moore
1898 ~ 1986
Maquette for Figure on Steps
bronze sculpture, 1956
6 1/2 x 7 1/8 x 6 1/2 in, 16.5 x 18.1 x 16.5 cm
This sculpture is from an edition of 10 plus one artist's cast, of which this is the artist's cast. It was cast by Fiorini Ltd. This superb work is the maquette for Figure on Steps: Working Model for Draped Seated Woman (LH 427) of the same date and for the related monumental 1957 - 1958 Draped Seated Woman (LH 428). Draped Seated Woman 1957-58 was cast by Susse Fondeur in a bronze edition of 6 plus one artist's cast. All six casts of the Draped Seated Woman are in public collections in the UK, Germany, Belgium, USA, Australia and Israel - the artist's cast is in a private collection in London.
Estimate: $175,000 - 225,000
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Harold Barling Town
CGP CPE CSGA OC OSA P11 RCA 1924 ~ 1991
President's Lady (Jacqueline Kennedy)
compressed charcoal on Arches paper, signed and dated 1963 and on verso signed, titled and dated
29 1/2 x 22 in, 74.9 x 55.9 cm
Estimate: $3,000 - 4,000
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Frederick Horsman Varley
ARCA G7 OSA 1881 ~ 1969
Nude on a Couch
oil on canvas on artist's board, signed and with the artist's thumbprint and on verso titled on several museum exhibition labels and dated 1940 on a label and labeled with the Varley Inventory #100
18 x 14 in, 45.7 x 35.6 cm
Estimate: $400,000 - 500,000
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Frederick Horsman Varley
ARCA G7 OSA 1881 ~ 1969
Twin Bays, Kootenay Lake
conte drawing, signed and on verso titled on various labels and inscribed with the Varley Inventory #84
13 1/2 x 16 1/2 in, 34.3 x 41.9 cm
Estimate: $2,500 - 3,500
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Media Contact:
For further information please contact:
Robert Heffel 604 732 6505
robert@heffel.com
David Heffel 604 732 6505
david@heffel.com
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