| The Canadians are generally considered a modest | | | | Paul - Emile Borduas and Kathleen Morris. The |
| bunch compared to their brash neighbours over | | | | latter is one of a clutch of Canadian female artists |
| the border. So it is then that, while American art | | | | to have gained prominence in recent years and |
| is regaled every which way by the cognoscenti, | | | | sits comfortably alongside painters of the calibre |
| Canadian art has not traditionally received the | | | | of Emily Carr and Helen McNicoll, both of whom |
| same profile or attention. However, Heffel Fine | | | | sold pictures for the princely sum of $299,000 |
| Art Auction House, based in Vancouver, Toronto, | | | | including premium. |
| Ottawa and Montreal, has really started to put it | | | | The Heffel family clearly do their homework. |
| on the map. The November sale at their Toronto | | | | Although they typically only hold two physical |
| rooms saw historic prices knocked down like | | | | auctions per annum, they continue to attract |
| skittles as one record fell after another, | | | | consignments of quality and back them up with |
| confirming Heffel as the major player in this | | | | slick marketing campaigns to promote their |
| sector of the market. | | | | activities. I can't honestly say that many entries in |
| No fewer than 18 record prices were achieved | | | | the November sale made my heart sing, and I |
| with the outstanding work, "The Bird Shop, St | | | | would certainly liked to have seen a few more |
| Lawrence Street" by Quebec master Maurice | | | | examples of Canadian portraiture, but this is an |
| Galbraith Cullen, selling for a hammer price of | | | | underappreciated and overlooked segment of the |
| $1,300,000, over four times the top estimate. | | | | market and one that Heffel handle very well. |
| This was a record for the artist and a trend that | | | | Bidders emerged across Canada, in addition to the |
| was repeated throughout the sale which | | | | US, UK, Norway and Asia, so clearly my personal |
| witnessed new peaks for, among others, JEH | | | | take on this genre is more than countered by |
| MacDonald, Tom Thomson, Franklin Carmichael, | | | | savvy and cultured buyers elsewhere! |