TORONTO.- An important private collection of rare, museum-quality and prime example Canadian artworks will go under the auction hammer on Thursday, May 30 with Cowley Abbott, hot on the heels of the record smashing sale of one of the country’s preeminent private collections of Canadian art (totaling $36.6 million, with an incredible 29 artist records set across three sales culminating in December 2023).

Anchoring this carefully curated collection of 20 paintings and sculptures is a spectacular Lawren Harris masterpiece “Brazeau Snowfield, Jasper Park. Mountain Painting XII”, expected to fetch between $2 million to $3 million. Measuring 4 x 4.9 feet in size, the monumental oil canvas was painted by Harris during a 1924 trip to Jasper Park in the Rocky Mountains with Group of Seven member A.Y. Jackson. This trip and the resulting painting marks an important time in Harris’ career: the beginning of his life-long fascination with the mountains - an iconic subject that is extremely popular among collectors. The canvas has exhibited at major galleries across Canada and is featured extensively in literature about the artist and Canadian art.

Collected over several years, the portfolio of artworks also contains a second, smaller, related mountain oil sketch by Harris “Coronet Mountain, Brazeau Glacier, 1924” (auction estimate: $300,000 - $400,000) as well as paintings by some of Canada’s most recognizable historical artists including the Group of Seven, Cornelius Krieghof and David Milne. The collection is expected to achieve between $4 million and $6 million at auction.

“Over the past four years, the Canadian art market has experienced heated bidding and unparalleled demand across all periods and styles, from our early artists like Paul Kane, to historical figures like Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven to post-war masters and contemporary artists such as Jack Bush and Marcelle Ferron,” said Rob Cowley, President and Co-Founder of Cowley Abbott. “This demand has resulted in countless auction records - including 29 artist records that Cowley Abbott set during the sale of one historic private collection. Confidence in the strength of the market has led to an influx of important artworks coming to auction from major private collections and public institutions alike, and we expect to continue to witness incredibly strong results again this season.”

Additional highlights of the live auction include 14 artworks being deaccessioned by the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq (WAG) (lots 101 - 114) and two previously announced artworks to be deaccessioned by Art Windsor Essex (AWE): art Icon Andy Warhol’s portrait of hockey legend “Wayne Gretzky” and an 1800s Indigenous scene by Paul Kane.

Spanning the 1900s through the 1970s, the artworks from WAG-Qaumajuq spotlight Canadian art across eight decades, featuring historical paintings, post-War pieces and mid-century abstracts. Highlights include works by the Group of Seven as well as David Milne’s “Bare Trees in Snow (New York)” (auction estimate: $150,000 - $250,000) and William Kurelek’s “Negrich Family Threshing Outfit” (auction estimate: $90,000 - $120,000).

Regular deaccessioning is a standard and best practice in collections management and allows galleries to refine their holdings and ensure the highest standards of care are maintained.

“We are pleased to contribute to the care, diversity and representation of the collections at the WAG-Qaumajuq and Art Windsor Essex with the donation of our selling commission to the galleries’ respective endowment funds,” adds Lydia Abbott, Vice-President and Co-Founder of Cowley Abbott.

The two-session live auction, Important Canadian & International Art and Select Important Collections, takes place back-to-back on Thursday, May 30 at 7 p.m. EDT at the Globe and Mail Centre, 351 King St. East, Toronto. It will livestream at cowleyabbott.ca, allowing for simultaneous in-person, telephone, absentee and real-time online bidding – enabling prospective buyers to participate from anywhere in the world.

Before hitting the auction block, the artworks will be exhibited at Cowley Abbott’s gallery, 326 Dundas Street West, located across the street from the Art Gallery of Ontario, free for the public to view from now until May 29th.

Additional spring auction highlights include:

Lawren Harris, Untitled (Abstract Painting #173), circa 1958
Auction Estimate: $300,000 - $400,000

While Harris is best known for landscapes, his abstract paintings have soared in popularity, with their value increasing significantly over the past 25 years. This important abstract has exhibited at leading art institutions across Canada, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada and Vancouver Art Gallery, among others, and is also featured in several books on both the artist and Canadian art.

Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger (F&S II.144)
Auction Estimate: $140,000 - $180,000

Warhol was fascinated by pop culture and captured many famous individuals in his art, including The Rolling Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger. His creative relationship with the singer in the 70s included many artistic collaborations. This screenprint is currently drawing major international interest, an indicator of the growing trend of international attention for the sale of global artists at auction in Canada. Cowley Abbott’s December 2023 live auction drew widespread international bidding for another Mick Jagger print by Warhol, and achieved one of the highest prices ever for a Jagger print: $276,000.

Tom Thomson, Spring, Algonquin Park
Auction Estimate: $700,000 - $900,000

This charming oil on board depicting the sunset over Thomson’s “home base” in Algonquin Park is widely considered one of his best depictions of sunsets in the park. It was painted during a prime period for his art, a few years before his untimely death in Algonquin Park. Cowley Abbott has achieved the three highest Thomson prices at auction in more than a decade in recent auction seasons.

Paul Kane, Party of Indians in Two Canoes on Mountain Lake circa 1855
Auction Estimate: $600,000 - $800,000

An important early Canadian artist, Paul Kane is best known for his depictions of Indigenous life. The sale of Kane’s artwork is a rare event, with fewer than 15 paintings offered at auction over the past 50 years. Many of his major canvases reside within the collections of public institutions including the Royal Ontario Museum and National Gallery of Canada. This is one of two paintings by Kane on offer in the auction.

Deaccessioned from Art Windsor Essex

Andy Warhol, Wayne Gretzky (1984)
Auction Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000

Renowned for his colourful images of celebrity icons in pop culture, Warhol began painting sports subjects as early as 1977. He met ‘The Great One’ Wayne Gretzky at the height of his NHL career for a portrait session in New York City in 1983 to create a series of six portraits, one of which was purchased by Gretzky himself.

Deaccessioned from Art Windsor Essex

Clarence Gagnon, A Laurentian Homestead, 1923
Auction Estimate: $400,000 - $600,000

Major works by Gagnon such as this are very rare. Celebrated for his depictions of Quebec life, this large-scale canvas features a winter day in the Laurentians. The painting gained international fame a century ago in the prestigious Palace of Arts of the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, London, the first major international art event after the First World War. It has since exhibited at major institutions across Canada and is featured extensively in literature. In December 2023, Cowley Abbott achieved a new global artist record ($984,000) with the sale of a similar Gagnon canvas, ultimately drawing this winter scene to market.

Nicholas Nixon, The Brown Sisters Series
Auction Estimate: $250,000 - $350,000

In July of 1975, photographer Nicholas Nixon was visiting his wife’s family when he decided to take his first photograph of his wife, Bebe (née Brown), and her three sisters, Heather, Mimi and Laurie. Nixon photographed the Brown sisters each year, creating one of photography’s most poignant bodies of work. A story of sisterhood emerges throughout the portraits, a collection of 43 signed and dated photographs. When Nixon’s first solo exhibition opened in 1976 at the Museum of Modern Art, the first two photographs were included.

Sayed Haider Raza, Temple Protestant
Auction Estimates: $250,000 - $300,000

Cowley Abbott is offering two canvases by the celebrated Indian painter, regarded as one of the most prominent Indian artists of his generation. Having worked in France for the majority of his career, he often featured French landscapes and churches in his art thought out the 50s and 60s. Already generating significant international interest, this charming church scene represents the beginning of a shift to a new style of artistic expression for the artist, showcasing a mix of old and new styles influenced by France’s Post-Impressionism movement.