TORONTO.- Waddington’s announces its fall auction of international fine art, to be held December 10, 2014, at its gallery at 275 King Street East, Toronto. The auction features exceptional paintings, sculpture and drawings from important private collections across Canada and the United States.
The auction also includes a number of works entrusted to Waddington’s by the Art of Gallery of Ontario (AGO) as part of the Gallery’s strategy to refine and improve the public, community and art historical value of its collection. A carefully guided process, the deaccessioning of these works underwent a rigorous and thorough review.
According to Lloyd DeWitt, the AGO’s Curator of European Art, “Deaccessioning is an important and healthy aspect of a collection’s care. As museums and public galleries carry out their missions, they seek to refine and elevate the quality and relevance of their collections. Because the AGO cares for its collections according to the highest standards, we need to ensure that resources are devoted to works of art that serve our mission. This occasionally means that works leave our collections. All proceeds from this sale will be dedicated to new art acquisitions.” DeWitt added, “Our Deaccessioning policy follows the guidelines agreed to by the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), and the standards of the Canadian Museums Association, the American Association of Museums and the Association of Art Museum Curators.”
Highlights from the AGO include Building Sandcastles by 19th-century Dutch master Bernardus Johannes Blommers, an oil on canvas painting that has a pre-sale estimate of $30,000—$50,000; and a white marble nude attributed to P.C. Emilio Fiaschi; pre-sale estimate $3,000—4,000.
In addition to the objects from the AGO collection, the auction also features a diverse selection of works, from Old Master and traditional, to modern and contemporary. Examples include: the Pre-Raphaelite style of John Atkinson Grimshaw, and elegant work of Frederic Soulacroix; nautical works by Montague Dawson and Edward John Russell; a collection of historical Native North American portrait studies; modern and contemporary works by Alex Katz and Henri Hayden; and in the sculpture category: Hanako, a remarkable bust by Auguste Rodin, and Sir Jacob Epstein’s massive bronze, Deirdre in a Slip.
