Both traditional and modern works fared well at Joyner Waddington’s spring art auction in Toronto, with buyers snapping up lots by Group of Seven members as well as more contemporary artists.
Friday’s sales included two high-profile Group of Seven works.
Franklin Carmichael’s Lone Lake, a rare, large-scale watercolour once part of the artist’s own collection, fetched $330,400, just above the low-end of its pre-sale estimate. (All prices include an 18 per cent auction house premium.) The work, which appeared at auction for the first time after remaining in the same family for about 80 years, depicts the Ontario lake that was eventually renamed Carmichael Lake in honour of the artist.
Also picked up for $330,400 was a Rocky Mountain landscape by Carmichael’s colleague, Lawren Harris. The oil-on panel work Mountain Sketch VII sold just above the low-end of Joyner’s pre-sale estimate.
Ukrainian-Canadian artist William Kurelek’s artwork continues to appeal to collectors, with all five lots on offer finding buyers on Friday. Notably, the detailed and picturesque After Church During Indian Summer (The Kavanagh Homestead, Bancroft) rose to a final price of $177,000, more than three times its presale estimate.
Among other contemporary artists, two pieces by the late Greg Curnoe created a buzz, according to auction house officials.
The avid cyclist’s Mariposa T.T., a colour serigraph on plexiglass, set a new record for the sale of Curnoe’s work when it soared to $59,000, nearly double the high-end of its estimated sale price. Meanwhile, his whimsical text-based, mixed media piece Dessin Anime also exceeded its estimate, ultimately garnering $42,480.
Chris Sabian is a portrait artist with http://www.kutefineart.com and owner of http://www.paragonprints.co.uk
