Art Auction Sales

Heffel’s $23 Million Fine Art Auction Best Canadian Auction to Date

In just four hours on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 at the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel in Vancouver, $23 million worth of Canadian art was sold by Heffel Fine Art Auction House. 

This sets a new Canadian record for a single sale, and is just shy of doubling the value of the previous record sale of $12.5 million, also set by Heffel’s on November 25, 2005.

The top four lots each exceeded one million dollars.  Two of these were by Lawren Harris; the other two were by Tom Thomson.

Heffel’s $12.4-Million Sale Beats Previous Record for Highest Fine Art Auction in Canadian History!

Heffel’s Fall Fine Art Auction held November 24, 2005 at Toronto’s Park Hyatt Hotel is the highest fine art auction in Canadian History! The 242 lots auctioned sold for a record $12.4 million, beating the previous Canadian fine art auction sales record of $8.49-million, set by Heffel in their 2004 fall auction.

The big seller of the night was a major oil on canvas by Maurice Cullen – "The Bird Shop, St. Lawrence Street", bringing in $1.495 million ($1.3 million hammer plus a 15% buyers premium).

A mountain landscape by J.E.H. MacDonald – "Lake O’Hara & Cathedral Mountain, Rockies" – sold for $977,500. and was the second highest price of the sale.

Both of Tom Thomson’s oil canvas works sold above estimates: "South Shore of Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park" sold for $460,000. and "Sketch for Grey Day in the North" went for $184,000.

“There were bidders from across Canada, as well as phone bidders from the United States, the U.K., Norway, and various parts of Asia, all attempting to land works by some of Canada’s best artists.” David Heffel

Lively Bidding at Sotheby’s Spring Auction
Price records for A.Y. Jackson, Tom Thomson and Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté were broken at Sotheby’s spring auction of Canadian art held in Toronto May 30, 2005:

A.Y. Jackson Painting Breaks Previous Records:
"In Jasper Park" by A.Y. Jackson sold for $549,000. (including buyer’s premium). It was expected to sell for no more than $250,000. The previous record for a Jackson was $330,000. set in 1988. "In Jasper Park" was first exhibited as part of the 1925 Group of Seven exhibition at the Art Gallery of Toronto.

Tom Thomson Sketch Sells Well Above Pre-sale High Estimate:
Tom Thomson’s small sketch “Autumn, Algonquin Park” (22 by 27 cm) sold for $428,000. (including buyer’s premium), well above its pre-sale high estimate of $300,000. The Thomson sketch was part of a group of 23 paintings from the estate of the late lawyer/philanthropist Fraser Elliott.

Bidding greatly exceeded pre-sale estimates for works by Clarence Gagnon, Suzor-Coté, Fred Varley, Emily Carr and others from the Elliott collection.

Heffel’s $8.4-million Sale is Highest Art Auction in Canadian History
Heffel’s auction held in Toronto November 25, 2004 is the highest art auction sale in Canadian history. The previous auction sales record in Canadian history was $6,847,818. “We are thrilled with the strong bidding in the room and on the phone this evening,” says David Heffel, President. “There were serious bidders from across Canada, as well as phone bidders from the United States, the U.K. and Asia, all attempting to land works by some of Canada’s best artists.”
Source: Heffel Auctions News Release, Thursday November 25, 2004

Lawren Harris painting sells for $575,000.
A 1926 double-sided oil by Lawren Harris valued initially at $250,000 to $350,000 sold for $575,000 ($661,250 including buyers premium) at Heffel’s auction held in Toronto Nov. 25, 2004. The one side of the canvas is Above Lake Superior, a strong image of the south shore of Lake Superior, and on the flip side Harris painted a geometric abstraction. This painting was given to his only daughter Margaret as a gift.
Source: The Globe and Mail, Nov. 26, 2004

A.Y. Jackson canvas fetches $368,000.
Jackson’s painting Country Road, L’Islet, St. Fabien from 1935 went for $368,000, (includes buyers premium) at Heffel’s auction held in Toronto Nov. 25th, setting a new auction record for a Jackson canvas.
Source: The Globe and Mail, Nov. 26, 2004

Canadian Artist Helen Galloway McNicoll’s painting sells for $322,000
The Avenue, a winter scene by Helen McNicoll sold for a record $322,000 (includes buyers premium). This canvas was painted at the height of McNicoll’s career, just three years before her death in 1915 at the age of 36, and belonged to her niece. The estimate for this 38-¼ inch by 31-¼ inch oil on canvas was conservatively listed at $60,000 to $80,000.
Source: The Globe and Mail, Nov. 26, 2004

Emily Carr canvas fetches $373,300.
A double-sided Emily Carr canvas sold for $373,300. including premium at Heffel’s auction held in Toronto Nov. 25th. The presale estimate was $125,000 to $175,000. Another painting by Carr of a forest scene, completed in 1934, went for the same amount, reflecting the heightened appeal of her work in the resale market over the past five years.
Source: The Globe and Mail, Nov. 26, 2004

Lawren Harris’ Winter in the Northern Woods sold for $1.4-million ($1.58-million with
buyer’s premium) at Sotheby’s Canada Spring auction held in Toronto yesterday, making
it the second most valuable Harris ever sold on the resale market. Baffin Island sold for
$2.2-million in 2001.
Source: The Globe and Mail, June 1, 2004

Clarence Gagnon’s painting, Landscape at Baie St. Paul, went into yesterday’s auction
carrying an estimate of $500,000. -$700,000. and was won with a bid from the floor of
$600,000. (approximately $680,000. including buyer’s premium).
Source: The Globe and Mail, June 1, 2004

Maurice Cullen painting sold for $130,000.
A 1904 painting of Quebec City in winter by Maurice Cullen sold for $130,000. at auction held in Toronto by Heffel Fine Art.
Source: Globe & Mail November 28, 2003

Tom Thomson Small Oil Sketch sold for $240,000.
A small Thomson oil sketch on a panel sold for $240,000. at Joyner Waddington’s spring art auction held in Toronto June, 2003.
Source: The Globe & Mail June, 2003

Cornelius Krieghoff painting fetches $240,000.
Preparing for a Trip to Town, an 1865 painting by Cornelius Krieghoff sold for $240,000. at Joyner Waddington’s spring auction held in Toronto June, 2003.
Source: The Globe & Mail June, 2003

Lawren Harris’s painting of Snowfall sold for $667,500.
Harris’s painting of Snowfall sold for $667,500. at Joyner Waddington’s Canadian art auction held December 3, 2002 in Toronto.
Source: The Toronto Star, December 4, 2002

Franklin Carmichael’s painting sold for $825,000.
Carmichael’s painting of Frood Lake sold for $825,000. at Joyner Waddington’s Canadian art auction held December 3, 2002 in Toronto.
Source: The Toronto Star, December 4, 2002

Lawren Harris painting sold for $600,000. in Vancouver auction
Lawren Harris’s In the Ward-Grocery Store sold for $600,000. at Heffel Fine Art Auction held in Vancouver.
Source: Canadian Press, November 15, 2002

Emily Carr painting sold for $1,018,750.
Emily Carr’s War Canoes (Alert Bay) 1912 sold for $1,018,750. (bid plus commissions) establishing the highest price of a Carr work in auction and highest price for a Canadian Woman artist.
Source: News Release – Heffel Fine Art, May 21, 2002

Lawren Harris painting sold for $82,500.
Lawren Harris’s painting, Toronto Houses Autumn, sold for $82,500. at Sotheby’s art auction held in Toronto December, 1998.
Source: Canadian Art magazine, June, 1999

Lawren Harris’s Houses, Richmond Street sold for $385,000.
Lawren Harris’s Houses, Richmond Street, 1911 (oil on canvas) sold for $385,000. CDN (Premium included) at Heffel Fine Art Auction May 14, 1992.
Source: Heffel Fine Art News Release