Colville, Picasso and Mitchell lead Heffel's auction as the global art market goes virtual

• Heffel has adapted its live auction model to ensure global buyers can experience the thrill of the event in whatever way they choose
• Live auction on July 15, including 112 museum-quality artworks, estimated to total $10M to $15M
• Masterpieces by Alex Colville, Pablo Picasso and Joan Mitchell are among the highlights on offer

TORONTO, June 16, 2020 /CNW/ - Amid sweeping social and economic changes caused by the pandemic, the art world is adjusting to "the new normal" with a rapid shift toward virtual participation, education and experiences. A leader in Canada's art market is Heffel Fine Art Auction House, which has made significant advancements to its digital infrastructure in order to adapt to this era of social distancing. Heffel will host its highly anticipated spring live auction on Wednesday, July 15, featuring 112 museum-quality works of art. While the sale will be held at Toronto's Design Exchange, the firm is encouraging bidders from around the world to enjoy a seamless auction experience from home, filled with the same level of enjoyment and passion as always. Led by Alex Colville, Joan Mitchell and Pablo Picasso masterworks, the Heffel auction is expected to total between $10 million and $15 million (All prices are in Canadian dollars and are conservative estimates.)

Highlighted by Alex Colville’s extraordinary 1976 Dog and Bridge (est. $800,000 – 1,200,000), Heffel has adapted its live auction model to ensure global buyers can bid and experience the entire event virtually (CNW Group/Heffel Fine Art Auction House)

Colville's extraordinary 1976 Dog and Bridge and Picasso's 1939 Tête de femme are among the highlights in Heffel's auction, and are sure to excite collectors from across the world. For those unable to view these incredible artworks in-person, they can be experienced through high-definition, interactive virtual auction previews. In addition, Heffel has adapted its live auction model to ensure global buyers can experience the thrill of the live event in whatever way they choose. Among other longstanding remote bidding options, for the first time ever, Heffel will introduce online bidding in its live auction. Telephone, absentee and online bidders, as well as interested viewers can stream the entire sale live on Heffel's website.

"The past few months have brought about unprecedented change, and it's been incredible to see the ways that organizations have pivoted in response," said David Heffel, President of Heffel Fine Art Auction House. "We're proud to be a leader in the transformation of Canada's art market and find new ways to bring art awareness, experiences and important masterpieces to collectors and enthusiasts."

The resilience of the art market and its ability to join together has been proven over the last few months. Heffel has seen strong results in its recent online auctions, demonstrating a continued appetite for important works of art. The firm also expanded its Online Auction Partnerships (HO2) platform and worked with several notable galleries to curate specialty auctions. Most recently, in partnership with Toronto's Nicholas Metivier Gallery and a group of well-known artists, Heffel held an online charity auction to raise money for Canadian food banks impacted by the spread of COVID-19, with an additional donation generously provided by RBC Foundation.

Highlights from the Heffel Live Auction

• Fresh to the auction market is a well-known masterpiece by Alex Colville, Dog and Bridge. This exceptional painting is one of Colville's most widely exhibited and written about works, and will undoubtedly capture the auction spotlight (est. $800,000 – 1,200,000)
• Pablo Picasso's portrait Tête de femme leads the Heffel auction by estimate. The oil on canvas is an important example by the iconic artist, painted in 1939, which relates to some of his most well-known masterpieces (est. $1,200,000 – 1,600,000).
• Joan Mitchell, the globally–acclaimed Abstract Expressionist painter, shines in the sale catalogue with a dynamic Untitled triptych (est. $400,000 – 600,000). Mitchell's works are widely exhibited around the world, and have been among the most sought-after works on the auction market in recent years.
• Seven outstanding works by the prominent Automatist painter Jean Paul Riopelle are led by Le réveil, a commanding largescale canvas, more than nine feet wide (est. $1,000,000 – 1,500,000). Heffel will be sponsoring the upcoming exhibition, Riopelle: The Call of Northern Landscapes and Indigenous Cultures at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, opening November 2020. Heffel is also a proud supporter of several other projects and initiviates related to the artist, including the newly established Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation and volume 5 of the artist's catalogue raisonné.
• 2020 marks 100 years since the formation of the Group of Seven, Canada's beloved artist collective. Heffel is proud to offer significant works painted by members of the Group, including Lawren Harris' glowing North East Corner of Lake Superior (Lake Superior Sketch XXXVIII) (est. $250,000 – 350,000).
• Lawren Harris's North Shore, Lake Superior III (Lake Superior Sketch LXIX) came to Heffel with an astounding backstory. The painting was unearthed earlier this year by family members sorting through boxes that their late father had stored away around 1948 after moving to Los Angeles. He was Canadian-born, and a painter himself. It is an pleasure to offer this recently discovered work at auction (est. $125,000 – 175,000).
• Yvonne Housser's depictions of Cobalt are exceptionally rare to the market, and Town of Cobalt is a standout example from her long and important career. This vibrant and optimistic work is one of the few known Housser canvases of this subject in existence, and has been in one family's collection for decades (est. $30,000 – 50,000).
• Three works by Emily Carr are on offer in the Heffel sale, each focusing on separate and significant subjects. House and Totems highlights a later visit to the totem poles at Gitwangak (Kitwanga), the focus of some of her most well-known works (est. $200,000 – 300,000), Crécy-en-Brie, France is an early example from Carr's formative years painting in France (est. $90,000 – 120,000) and Forest Interior is an energetic circa 1929 forest scene painted on canvas (est. $150,000 – 250,000).
• An important highlight in the sale is the intricate and museum-quality sculpture by internationally collected artist David Altmejd, Untitled (est. $90,000 – 120,000). Altmejd's works are very rare to market, and this standout example was created in 2007, the same year Altmejd represented Canada at the Venice Biennale.

Heffel Live Auction Schedule
To give interested buyers from across Canada an opportunity to view these works, the collection will be previewed virtually at Heffel.com, and by appointment, maintaining social distancing, in three cities leading up to the live auction.

• Vancouver: Saturday, June 20 to Tuesday, June 23, 11 am – 6 pm, Heffel Gallery (2247 Granville Street)
• Montreal: Thursday, July 2 to Saturday, July 4, 11 am – 6 pm, Galerie Heffel (1840 rue Sherbrooke Ouest)
• Toronto: Friday, July 10 to Tuesday, July 14, 10 am – 6 pm and Wednesday, July 15, 10 am – 1 pm, Design Exchange (Exhibition Hall, 234 Bay Street)

The two-session live auction will take place on Wednesday, July 15 at Design Exchange (The Historic Trading Floor, 234 Bay Street, Toronto). The sale will be live-streamed online at Heffel.com and several remote bidding options will be available.

• 5:00 pm ET — Post-War & Contemporary Art
• 7:00 pm ET — Canadian, Impressionist & Modern Art

For details on the previews and live auction, and to access the online catalogues, please visit www.heffel.com.

About Heffel Fine Art Auction House
Heffel has sold more Canadian art than any other auctioneer worldwide, with sales totaling more than half a billion dollars since 1978. With offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Calgary, Heffel has the most experienced team of fine art specialists in Canada and provides superior client service to both sellers and buyers internationally.

SOURCE Heffel Fine Art Auction House

to schedule an interview or media viewing, or for high-resolution images, please contact: Rebecca Rykiss, Heffel Fine Art Auction House, [email protected], 416-961-6505 ext. 323