Waddington's Major Auctions of Canadian and Inuit Art
TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2020 /CNW/ - Waddington's Auctioneers & Appraisers presents its major auctions of Canadian Fine Art and Inuit Art in a new format this fall.
Adapting to the challenges dictated by the global health crisis, Canada's oldest auction company has leveraged its digital platforms to provide access and flexibility for its clients. Already conducting the vast majority of nearly 100 auctions a year online, Waddington's is offering this season's major auctions as live-streamed events, with bidders participating via telephone, absentee or online bidding via auction platform Invaluable.
Canadian Fine Art Auction – Thursday, September 17 at 7 pm ET
Assembled from prominent private collections from across North America, this major auction features Canada's most sought-after artists from the 19th to 21st centuries.
Auction Highlights
William Kurelek's, Relaxation, was unearthed from a private collection in British Columbia where it has resided since it was first purchased. Illustrated in Kurelek's book Lumberjack, an account of his time spent in the woods of Northern Ontario and Quebec, Relaxation depicts a well-earned moment of repose after another long day of work.
Relaxation, 1973
oil on board in artist's frame
19 ins x 22 ins
Estimate: $80,000-$100,000
Composition is an excellent example of Jean Paul Riopelle's signature technique, painted during a restless flurry of experimentation while immersed in the Parisian cultural scene through the 1950s. The painting has been in a private collection for over 60 years and this is the first time it is being offered at auction. Riopelle continues to capture collectors' attention globally as we approach the 2023 centenary of the artist's birth.
Composition, c.1955
oil on canvas
15 ins x 18 ins
Estimate $150,000-$250,000
Fort Edmonton is another provocative work by interdisciplinary Cree artist, Kent Monkman. As one of the most prominent contemporary artists working in Canada today, Monkman is widely recognized for his artistic responses to the complexities of historic and contemporary Indigenous experiences and reframes Canadian history through an Indigenous and queer lens. Waddington's previously set an auction record of $108,000 for Monkman's 'Study for the Academy in November 2019.
Fort Edmonton, 2003
acrylic on canvas
24 ins x 36 ins
Estimate $30,000-$50,000
Tom Thomson's early paintings around 1912 and 1913 are often marked by a dark tonality and demonstrate his characteristically delicate touch. A Quiet Summer Evening and Late Spring, also offered in this auction, show how intrigued and invigorated he was by the northern Canadian landscape. With 50 canvases and just over 300 sketches in existence, both works are extremely rare to the market.
A Quiet Summer Evening, c.1913
oil on board
6.9 ins x 9.9 ins
Estimate $250,000-$350,000
Kempenfelt Bay, an early work by Lawren Harris, depicts a stand of trees near the family cottage on Lake Simcoe. At this time, ideas of how to depict "our Canada" as a unique and original subject seen through truly Canadian eyes was at the forefront of Harris's self-reflection. In the same family since acquired in the 1930s, this painting has been passed down through three generations.
Pine Trees, Kempenfelt Bay, c.1916
oil on board
14 ins x 10.5 ins
Estimate $60,000-$80,000
Inuit Fine Art Auction – Wednesday, September 16 at 7 pm ET
Featuring exceptional works by Ennutsiak, Joe Talirunili, Kenojuak Ashevak, Jessie Oonark, Pauta Saila, Shuvinai Ashoona, and Pauta Saila, our September Inuit Art auction is an impressive mix of important historic and contemporary works.
Of particular note is the 'Migration Boat' by Talirunili, and a red-tailed 'Enchanted Owl' by Kenoujak. Also featured are three sculptures by Pauta Saila, representing the span of the artist's career, as well as an excellent selection of 1959 and early 1960s Cape Dorset prints, amongst many other works.
Waddington's is honoured to offer another work from Joe Talirunili's suite of Migration Boats in this auction. In this example, it is Joe's grandmother standing tall as the boat approaches land. This lot includes a photograph of the artist sculpting this boat, as well as a letter written by Joe in syllabics explaining the origins of his famous Migration Boat.
Migration Boat
stone, skin, wood, thread
14.5 x 14 x 6.5 ins
Estimate $140,000-$160,000
The Enchanted Owl is arguably one of the most iconic Canadian images. Created by Kenojuak Ashevak during the first three years of the printmaking endeavour in Kinngait, it is exceptional for its aesthetic and technical expertise, especially considering the circumstances of their creation. Now greatly sought after, The Enchanted Owl remains a rare and classic image that launched an unforgettable era in Canadian art history. The most highly prized red-tailed version of the print is expected to garner another record-setting result.
The Enchanted Owl
stonecut
1960, 12/50
24 x 26 ins
Estimate $100,000-$120,000
Auction Information
Inuit Art
This auction will be conducted live on Wednesday, September 16 at 7 pm ET. The auction will be live streamed on Waddington's YouTube channel. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are unable to accommodate physical attendance at the auction.
Bidders may participate via absentee and telephone bidding, or real-time online bidding through Invaluable.
View the Auction: https://www.waddingtons.ca/auction/inuit-art-sep-16-2020/
Canadian Fine Art
This auction will be conducted live on Thursday, September 17 at 7 pm ET. The auction will be live streamed on Waddington's YouTube channel. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are unable to accommodate physical attendance at the auction.
Bidders may participate via absentee and telephone bidding, or real-time online bidding through Invaluable.
View the Auction: https://www.waddingtons.ca/auction/canadian-fine-art-sep-17-2020/
About Waddington's
Waddington's is Canada's most diversified provider of auction and appraisal services. We specialise in Asian, Canadian, Inuit and Indigenous, International and Contemporary Art, as well as Decorative Arts and Design, Fine Jewellery and Fine Wine & Spirits.
SOURCE Waddington's Auctioneers
Visit our website www.waddingtons.ca or contact us at [email protected] or 416.504-9100
Share this article