Joe Talirunili, "Migration Boat," early-mid 1970s
stone, skin, wood and thread, 11" x 15" x 7" ($408,000 - First Arts)
Caution was in the air at the major art auctions last month in Toronto and Montreal.
The sales began May 26 at ByDealers in Montreal. The action then moved to Toronto for Waddington’s on May 27, Consignor on May 28 and Heffel on May 29.
Overall, Inuit art’s strong performance stole the show. Joe Talirunili’s Migration Boat, from the early-mid 1970s, sold for $408,000, setting a record for Inuit art sold at auction and toppling the previous record of $290,000 for a piece by the same artist.
While all the previews were excellent, shifts in Canada’s art market became apparent.
ByDealers
I did not attend the sale in Montreal, but followed some of the 60 lots online. All works were sold, but closer examination of the published results revealed many went for less than their pre-sale estimates.
Jean Paul Riopelle, "Décembre Orléans," 1959
oil on canvas, 29" x 39" ($870,000 - ByDealers)
There were a few stellar sales, including works by Jean Paul Riopelle, Claude Tousignant, Yves Gaucher and Serge Lemoine. I also noted a beautiful recent work by Francine Simonin. Riopelle's Décembre Orléans, 1959, was the star, selling at $870,000.
Waddington’s Canadian and Inuit Fine Art
Waddington’s is always an intriguing place to study historical, modern and contemporary art. They find work that is not necessarily common, but deserves attention. And the pieces succeed, to an extent.
The auction room was full and the sale gained momentum, but buyers were clearly there for specific pieces. By the halfway point, the room was noticeably empty. Bidding was still taking place, but auctioneer Stephen Ranger was working hard for sales.
Overall, Waddington’s did well, with some fine values achieved. Some important lots failed to sell, but good Inuit pieces definitely found collectors.
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John Graham Coughtry, "Two Figures," 1962
oil on canvas, 60" x 48" ($38,400 - Waddington's)
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Alfred Joseph Casson, "Roadside Store," 1961
oil on masonite, 24" x 36" ($240,000 - Waddington's)
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Marion Tuu'luq, "Together in Spring," 1977
stroud, thread, embroidery floss, felt, 54" x 57" ($72,000 - Waddington's)
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Walter Joseph Phillips, "Jack Pine," undated
woodcut, printed in colours, numbered 87/100, 10" x 10" ($14,400 - Waddington's)
Notable works included Graham Coughtry’s Two Figures, 1962, which sold at $38,400. It’s a beautifully executed example of his early energetic painting.
A.J. Casson’s Roadside Store, a large painting sourced from an important collection, sold at $240,000. Marion Tuu’Luq’s Together in Spring, an amazing Inuit embroidery from a private collection in Winnipeg, sold for $72,000. And Jack Pine, a woodcut by W.J. Phillips, sold for $14,400.
Notable was the lack of sales and low values for Group of Seven works. Other pieces also missed their estimates. This occurred at all the auctions due to selective and cautious buyers.
However, a few fine pieces found by Waddington’s Anna Holmes, who has a strong interest in Canadian art from the 1800s, interested buyers.
Consignor Canadian Fine Art
Contemporary art dominated the walls and was the success story in Consignor’s renovated gallery space, although there were also fine historical works, including the Group of Seven and other pieces from the same era.
The auction room was full as Robert Cowley started. But within a few lots collectors were letting things slip by. Fine historical works by A.Y. Jackson, Frank Carmichael, J.E.H MacDonald and others did not sell.
A pattern was starting to emerge. I suspect a demographic change is occurring in the art market. Collectors of these artists have what they want, and no new buyers are emerging.
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Pegi Nicol MacLeod, "Building, Street Scene, New York," circa 1940
oil on canvas, 24" x 19" ($12,980 - Consignor)
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William Kurelek, "Tale of a Dog," 1975
mixed media on board, 13" x 1" ($10,620 - Consignor)
Sparks were generated for rare good-quality works by artists like Pegi Nicol MacLeod, whose Building, Street Scene, New York, circa 1940, sold at $12,980. William Kurelek’s Tale of a Dog, 1975, a tiny, odd painting with a wonderful story, went at $10,620.
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Jack Hamilton Bush, "Summer Afternoon/The Lovers," 1951
oil on board, 30" x 40" ($28,320 - Consignor)
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David Brown Milne, "Soft Hills (Misty Hill) (Boston Corners, N.Y.)," 1917
watercolour 15" x 23" ($112,100 - Consignor)
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Claude Tousignant, "Absurdo," 1964
acrylic on canvas, 72" x 72" ($188,800 - Consignor)
An early painting by Jack Bush, Summer Afternoon/The Lovers, 1951, a precursor to his abstract painting, sold for $28,320.
Important examples of Lawren Harris and Emily Carr were passed over. But David Milne’s 1917 watercolour, Soft Hills (Misty Hill) (Boston Corners, N.Y.), sold well at $112,100.
Obviously, not all historical works were ignored. Collectors were very specific. The knockout sale of the evening was Claude Tousignant’s Absurdo, 1964, at $188,800.
Without doubt, Robert Cowley and Lydia Abbott sourced interesting work. But buyers were choosy.
First Arts
I took in the preview of the incredible First Arts sale of Inuit and First Nations art at Waddington’s.
First Arts, the newest entry into Canada’s auction market, was started last fall by four seasoned dealers in Indigenous art – Patricia Feheley, Ingo Hessel, Mark London and Duncan McLean. The sale’s 75 lots, displayed in a separate gallery, were astounding.
Joe Talirunili, "Migration Boat," early-mid 1970s
stone, skin, wood and thread, 11" x 15" x 7" ($408,000 - First Arts)
The sale was an overwhelming success story for a first auction, great news in an otherwise tough market. Joe Talirunili’s Migration Boat, a stone piece from the early-mid 1970s, sold for $408,000, well above its pre-sale estimate of $150,000 to $200,000.
That’s a record for Inuit art sold at auction, and a big step up from the old mark set by Migration, a similar piece by Talirunili that sold for $290,00 at Waddington’s in 2012. Talirunili, who died in 1976, made a difficult trip with his family in a skin boat, or umiaq, as a child. He portrayed the experience in sculptures, prints and drawings throughout his career.
First Arts sold 95 per cent of its consignments and was a hotbed of high values, with 36 per cent of lots selling above their pre-sale estimates. Several artists, including Osuitok Ipeelee and Tuna Iqlulik, achieved record prices. Obviously, collectors are watching.
Heffel Fine Art Auction House
The Heffel sale included important estate collections and works from the DuPont Canada art collection.
Most notable were prime contemporary pieces owned by the Steinberg family of Montreal, including works by Jean Paul Riopelle, Guido Molinari, Claude Tousignant, Paterson Ewen and Paul-Emile Borduas.
I also enjoyed Alex Colville's work on paper, Study for Laser, 1976, which brought back memories of meeting him when I worked at the Mira Godard Gallery in Toronto. The catalogue entry, however, focused primarily on Colville’s exhibitions at Fischer Fine Art in London.
It was great to see a prime canvas by Oscar Cahén, Aquaphobia, 1954, a rarity in the Canadian market.
Ivan Kenneth Eyre, "Crystal Valley," 1979
acrylic on canvas, 77" x 66" ($373,250 - Heffel)
The first notable sale was a record for a large prime-period work by Ivan Eyre. Crystal Valley, 1979, has incredible detail and sold for $373,250.
From that point on, the sale was energetic and did well.
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Marcelle Ferron, "Sans titre," 1962
oil on canvas, 32" x 39" ($217,250 - Heffel)
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Lawrence (Larry) Poons, "Sayronnella," 1974
acrylic on canvas, 97" x 56" ($145,250 - Heffel)
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William Paterson Ewen, "Untitled," 1954
oil on canvas, 31" x 38" ($91,250 - Heffel)
Notable works included Marcelle Ferron’s Sans titre, 1962, at $217,250. Sayronnella, 1974, a wonderful large work from American artist Larry Poons sold for $145,250. Paterson Ewen’s Untitled, 1954, which sold at $91,250, was the best of three works by the artist in the Steinberg collection.
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Paul-Emile Borduas, "Tom-pouce et les chimères," 1947
oil on canvas, 7" x 9" ($85,250 - Heffel)
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Jean Paul Riopelle, "Claire voie," 1958
oil on canvas, 24" x 29" ($361,250 - Heffel)
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Jack Hamilton Bush, "Flip," 1969
acrylic on canvas, 39" x 90" ($361,250 - Heffel)
A tiny Borduas, Tom Pouce et les chimères, 1947, was brilliant. A few collectors agreed, bidding it up to $85,250. The Riopelle that stood out for me on a wall of his paintings was Claire voie, 1958, which sold at $361,250, by phone.
Flip, 1969, by Jack Bush, was another knockout and sold quickly, also for $361,250, to a phone bid. This was a surprise. Large prime Bush paintings would have had bids from the floor and busy phone activity in the recent past. I had expected this work to hit the $400,000 pre-sale estimate, or even go higher.
The sale had a full house and active bidding, but collectors were selective. Certainly, it was successful, with records broken, and millions of dollars achieved. But it felt like some collectors were missing.
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Alfred Joseph Casson, "Soyers Lake, Haliburton," 1929
watercolour on paper, 17" x 20" ($79,250 - Heffel)
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Alfred Joseph Casson, "The Lake in the Hills, Lake Superior," 1929
watercolour on paper, 17" x 20" ($91,250 - Heffel)
The first star lots in Heffel’s next sale, Canadian Impressionism and modern art, were by A.J. Casson. Soyers Lake, Haliburton and The Lake in the Hills, Lake Superior, both 1929, are stellar large watercolours that were held and hidden under a bed in Britain because the owner was worried they would fade in the light. The rare works, in pristine condition, sold for $79,250 and $91,250, respectively.
However, within a few lots, the room became a tough sell. Even the usually busy phones were quiet. The cautious atmosphere of the previous sales prevailed again.
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Alexander Young Jackson, "Laurentian Hills," 1932-1933
oil on canvas, 25" x 32" ($451,250 - Heffel)
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Marc-Aurèle Fortin, "Paysage à Hochelaga," circa 1930
oil on board, 21" x 33" ($115,250 - Heffel)
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Peter Clapham Sheppard, "Cabstand, Montreal," 1927
oil on canvas, 24" x 30" ($157,250 - Heffel)
Of course, David and Robert Heffel soldiered on, hitting their stride with a work by Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Paysage à Hochelaga, a large painting done around 1930 that sold for $115,250.
Laurentian Hills, 1932-1933, a large canvas by A.Y. Jackson, came from the Art Gallery of Ontario’s deaccession of some of his works, which Heffel is handling. It sold for $451,250.
Peter C. Sheppard’s Cabstand Montreal, 1927, was a strong sale at $157,250.
Henri Matisse, "Femme assise sur un balcon," 1919
oil on canvas, 26" x 20" (pre-sale estimate $4.2 million - Heffel)
On the other hand, Henri Matisse’s Femme assise sur un balcon, 1919, failed to find a buyer. The highest bid, of $3 million, failed to meet the undisclosed reserve price. The work had a pre-sale estimate of $4.2 million.
My overall opinion on the spring auction season is positive. Fine works were available at the sales, but new collectors did not emerge. Many buyers of Canadian art seemed more active in previous years, when values were higher. It’s possible we are seeing a changing demographic amongst art collectors, an aging group that needs to be refreshed with new buyers.
Certainly, the high value for contemporary art is encouraging. However, great historical works, which are far more valuable and rare in an international sense, did not always achieve what they should.
That said, we have seen ups and downs before in the auction market. Indeed, this latest trend could simply reflect current economic realities. ■
All prices include the buyer’s premium. Images are courtesy of the respective auction houses.
