Sold for: $40,250

PROVENANCE
A gift from the Artist to Nancy Archer, Toronto and United Kingdom
By descent to Betty Archer, United Kingdom
Banting Research Foundation, Toronto, by anonymous gift, 2010

LITERATURE
A.Y. Jackson, A Painter’s Country: The Autobiography of A.Y. Jackson, 1958, page 62

In 1921, Frederick G. Banting and Charles H. Best discovered insulin at the University of Toronto, and forever altered medical history. In addition to his medical research, Dr. Banting was an accomplished artist, whose works, including The Lab (1925), sold by Heffel in November of 2018, are collected globally. In the same year as The Lab was painted, the Banting Research Foundation was established to support health and biomedical research in Canada, and almost 100 years later, it is still committed to this goal. Seeking out important emerging research conducted by early career health scientists in Canada, the Banting Research Foundation has supported over 1,350 researchers with funds totaling $8.6 million through grants such as the Discovery Award Program, its annual peer-reviewed competition.

Heffel is honoured to partner with the Banting Research Foundation by offering two exceptional works by Dr. Banting from its collection in support of the foundation’s important fundraising goals. This year marks the centennial of the first successful injection of insulin, to 14-year-old Leonard Thompson at Toronto General Hospital, and the Banting Research Foundation looks forward to supporting the next century of world-changing medical advances.

“Bigger and better snow drifts” is Banting’s slogan. We went for a short-cut through the woods yesterday and that nearly cured him. We did not have our snowshoes, and we sank in the snow up to our waists. No newspapers, no radio and only enough water to wash once a day and yet we are happy.

—A.Y. Jackson, letter to Dr. James MacCallum

Frederick Banting originally sought out Group of Seven member A.Y. Jackson because of the work he produced as an official war artist. Banting had also served in World War I and was awarded the Military Cross, one of the British Empire’s highest military honours. Banting was seeking to engage with his fellow serviceman but was also keen to explore his own artistic inclinations. This led to a warm friendship and sketching trips around Ontario, to the Arctic, and to the rural areas of Quebec’s Charlevoix region, shown here. With a discerning eye, Banting gives voice to the artistic aspects of his nature, carefully capturing the rustic qualities of these simple homes and rolling hills.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars