Motherwell and Riopelle ignite spring auction season at Heffel

• Heffel leads Canada's auction market with marquee spring sale, featuring 79 artworks expected to total $10M to $15M
• International powerhouses Robert Motherwell, Jean Paul Riopelle, Lawren Harris anchor the offering
• Auction will take place on June 1, presented through Heffel's advanced Digital Saleroom

TORONTO, May 3, 2022 /CNW/ - Following a record-breaking year that saw unprecedented demand for art around the world, Heffel Fine Art Auction House is thrilled to present 79 exceptional works of art at its spring 2022 live auction on June 1, 2022. Alongside its time-honoured catalogues of Post-War & Contemporary Art and Canadian, Impressionist & Modern Art, the marquee sale will feature the important collection of Joan Stewart Clarke, a landmark single-owner session. The three groupings are expected to total $10 million to $15 million, and are filled with brilliant examples by artists whose works adorn the world's most prominent museums. Anchoring the offering are masterworks by international powerhouses including Robert Motherwell, Jean Paul Riopelle and Lawren Harris (All estimate values are in Canadian dollars.)

Jean Paul Riopelle’s 1953 canvas, Sans titre, a museum-quality masterwork, will highlight Heffel’s live auction on June 1 (Estimate: $1,000,000 – 1,500,000) (CNW Group/Heffel Fine Art Auction House)

Leading the Heffel spring live auction is Robert Motherwell’s major canvas, August Sea #5 (Estimate: $2,000,000 – 2,500,000) (CNW Group/Heffel Fine Art Auction House)

Heffel's highly-anticipated auction will take place in real time, through the firm's unparalleled Digital Saleroom, the first of its kind in Canada. Broadcast from three connected auction rooms in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, participation will be entirely remote, allowing collectors to "raise their paddles" from anywhere in the world, by means of telephone, absentee and online bidding.

Heffel is honoured to offer a group of nine works from the collection of Joan Stewart Clarke, a visionary art enthusiast who, over her decades of collecting, built lasting relationships with industry-greats and shared her passion with those who were fortunate to know her. Leading the group is an outstanding 1972 canvas by Robert Motherwell, August Sea #5. Commanding in every way, it is the first major work by the American Abstract Expressionist icon to ever be offered at auction in Canada.

Next year marks the centenary of the iconic Jean Paul Riopelle, and the market for his works parallels his enduring legacy. As Canada prepares to celebrate his artistic genius, Riopelle is once again in the auction spotlight with six works on offer. Sans titre, a 1953 masterpiece canvas shines bright in the sale, and will undoubtedly excite collectors across the world. The palette-knife with drip showstopper, fresh to the auction market, features a rainbow of colours and all of the qualities of the most sought-after works by the artist.

"We are incredibly proud to share these masterworks with eager and passionate collectors globally," said David Heffel, President of Heffel Fine Art Auction House. "The strength of Heffel's offering this spring is a product of lasting relationships with our consignors, who have entrusted us to find proud new homes for artworks they have treasured and enjoyed for many years."

Highlights from the Heffel Auction

• A superb canvas, August Sea #5, by American powerhouse Robert Motherwell tops the Heffel sale by estimate. The abstract masterpeice, commanding in scale and rich in colour, is the first major work by Motherwell ever offered at auction in Canada (est. $2,000,000 – 2,500,000).
• A striking canvas by Jean Paul Riopelle leads a group of six works on offer by the artist in the spring sale. Sans titre is a masterpiece canvas, painted in 1953 at the highpoint in Riopelle's incredible career (est. $1,000,000 – 1,500,000).
• Rita Letendre's Reflet d'Eden is absolutely monumental, and without a doubt one of the finest works by the artist to ever come to market (est. $100,000 – 150,000). Letendre sadly passed away in the fall of 2021, marking the end of her incredible artistic career, which made her Officer of the Order of Canada and a recipient of the Governor General's Award.
• As the market for works by the Group of Seven soars, four examples by Lawren Harris highlight an exceptional offering by artists from the collective. Mountain Sketch, a glowing Group-period depiction of the Rocky Mountains, is among the finest paintings by Harris outside of museum walls (est. $500,000 – 700,000).
• Trinidad-based contemporary artist, Chris Ofili shines in the Heffel sale with Saint Lucian Blue, a largescale, monochromatic canvas from his important series, The Blue Rider (est. $350,000 – 450,000). Ofili is internationally represented, collected and admired, having been awarded the Turner Prize and later representing Britain at the Venice Biennale.
• Alex Colville's Coastal Figure is a standout in the auction catalogue. The 55-inch painting was painted in 1951, shortly after Colville's return from World War II, and is a peaceful and profoundly contemplative image (est. $650,000 – 850,000).
• Swirling forest scenes by Emily Carr are highly sought-after, and Singing Trees is a fantastic example, dynamic and full of life (est. $500,000 – 700,000). Also on offer is the incredibly rare, painted ceramic Klee Wyck Orca Platter, one of a few ceramic works produced and sold by Carr, to get through a particularly turbulent economic period (est. $10,000 – 15,000).
• Paintings by renowned international artists Helen Frankthaler and Sam Francis round out The Joan Stewart Clarke Collection, and will be presented alongside works by Canadian greats like Jean Paul Lemieux and Paul-Émile Borduas. The grouping beautifully illustrates Clarke's keen eye and impeccable taste.
• Alongside Frankenthaler, Carr and Letendre, remarkable works by other key women artists spanning significant periods in art history strengthen the Heffel spring auction, including Doris McCarthy, Molly Lamb Bobak, Prudence Heward, Kathleen Morris and Marian Dale Scott.
• Cornelius Krieghoff was acclaimed to be Canada's first professional artist collected internationally during his career. Following Heffel's record-breaking sale last year, Krieghoff's important canvas The Sleigh Race comes to market with sterling provenance and exhibition history (est. $300,000 – 400,000).

Heffel Spring Auction Schedule

To give interested buyers from across Canada an opportunity to view these works, the collection is being previewed in three cities leading up to the auction (by appointment) and through virtual gallery tours.

• Vancouver: Saturday, April 16 to Monday, April 25, 11 am – 6 pm, Heffel Gallery (2247 Granville Street)
• Montreal: Friday, May 6 to Wednesday, May 11, 11 am – 6 pm, Galerie Heffel (1840 rue Sherbrooke Ouest)
• Toronto: Friday, May 20 to Tuesday, May 31, 11 am – 6 pm, Heffel Gallery (13 Hazelton Avenue)

The three-session auction will take place on Wednesday, June 1. The sale will be broadcast live at Heffel.com and several remote bidding options will be available.

• 4:30 pm ET — Video Presentation
• 5:00 pm ET — Post-War & Contemporary Art
• 7:00 pm ET — Canadian, Impressionist & Modern Art
• 8:30 pm ET – The Joan Stewart Clarke Collection

For details on the previews and auction, and to access the online catalogues, please visit www.heffel.com.

About Heffel Fine Art Auction House

Since 1978, Heffel has connected passionate collectors across the world with outstanding works of art, with sales totaling three quarters of a billion dollars. With offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Calgary, Heffel has the most experienced team of fine art specialists in Canada and provides superior client service to both sellers and buyers internationally.

SOURCE Heffel Fine Art Auction House

For additional information, to schedule an interview or media viewing, or for high-resolution images, please contact: Rebecca Rykiss, Heffel Fine Art Auction House, [email protected], 416-961-6505 ext. 323