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LOT 114

ARCA G7 OSA
1881 - 1969
Canadian

Sketch of British Columbia Coast
oil on board, 1927
signed and on verso signed and titled and titled Coast of British Columbia on the gallery label
12 x 15 in, 30.5 x 38.1 cm

Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD

Sold for: $58,250

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
Dominion Gallery, Montreal
Private Collection, Montreal

LITERATURE
Christopher Varley, F.H. Varley: A Centennial Exhibition, Edmonton Art Gallery, 1981, page 80


Inscribed on verso: "3857 Point Grey Road, Thorley Park, Vancouver, BC" / "Varley Inventory #172" / "GASS" and with the Dominion Gallery Inventory #H4914

When Frederick Varley arrived in Vancouver in 1926 to take a teaching position at the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts, he rented a house at 3857 Point Grey Road at Jericho Beach. From the waterfront balcony, he often painted the spectacular view to the North Shore mountains across Burrard Inlet. Awestruck by his surroundings, in 1927 Varley wrote to Eric Brown, director of the National Gallery of Canada, “I have a large verandah off the main large room, built over the water…The view is magnificent across the Straits to the mountains running North…The water now is warmer than Georgian Bay in the summer & at 7:30 this morning I ran out for a morning splash.” This dreamy oil sketch is most likely painted from that same deck, as we see transparent sea water rippling across the sandbars so characteristic of Jericho Beach. With its sweeping, energized brush-strokes, this work resembles Emily Carr’s beachscapes of the 1930s. There is a translucent and light-filled quality to this work that enchants the eye.

On verso is a graphite sketch of a landscape.

This work is #172 in the Varley Inventory listing titled as Sketch - BC Coast (1927).


Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD

All prices are in Canadian Dollars


Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.