Pablo Picasso and Emily Carr masterpieces take the Heffel auction stage

• 113 outstanding artworks to be offered at Heffel's fall live auction on November 20, estimated to total $20 million to $25 million
• Grouping of museum-quality works by internationally renowned artists reinforce Canada's place as a rising star in the global art market
• Treasured Emily Carr painting, one of the most significant works by the artist to ever come to market
• Exceptional Pablo Picasso canvas, never before seen in Canada, expected to achieve more than $8 million

TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2019 /CNW/ - Heffel Fine Art Auction House's fall 2019 auction catalogue features a lineup of masterpieces from across the world, many of which will be available for sale in Canada for the first time. Pablo Picasso, Emily Carr, Joan Mitchell and Jean Paul Riopelle are among the internationally renowned names that highlight the collection of 113 works of art. Hitting the auction block on November 20 at Toronto's historic Design Exchange, the works are estimated to command between $20 million and $25 million. For the first time ever, half of Heffel's total presale estimate is made up of major works consigned from outside of Canada, reinforcing Canada's place as a rising star in the global art market, with Heffel at the forefront. (All prices are in Canadian dollars and are conservative estimates.)

Street, Alert Bay, a rare masterpiece by Emily Carr painted in 1912, will be offered at the Heffel fall auction on November 20 (estimate: $2,000,000 - 3,000,000) (CNW Group/Heffel Fine Art Auction House)

Pablo Picasso's iconic Femme au chapeau is estimated to bring in $8 million to $10 million at the Heffel fall auction on November 20, 2019 (CNW Group/Heffel Fine Art Auction House)

An honour for Heffel this season is the inclusion of Emily Carr's exceptionally rare canvas, Street, Alert Bay. When Carr returned in 1911 from her famous trip to France, she made it her life's mission to document BC's coastal First Nations villages. This masterpiece is an important, dramatic and detailed example painted in 1912, and one of the most historically significant works by the artist ever offered for sale.

Pablo Picasso leads the Heffel auction by estimate with the monumental Femme au chapeau. The 1941 oil on canvas is a spectacular depiction of Dora Maar, Picasso's muse and his iconic "Weeping Woman." Consigned from a prominent European collection, the painting has a rich exhibition provenance and history, including an important show in 1956 at the Kootz Gallery in New York, Picasso: First Showing in America, Paintings and Sculptures. Picasso's canvases are among the most sought-after on the international art market, and this quintessential example is sure to thrill collectors.

"Canada has become a leader in the global auction market, and this season we have had the honour of working with a number of prominent international consignors," said David Heffel, President of Heffel Fine Art Auction House. "We are thrilled to continue representing Canada on the international stage and promoting beloved Canadian artists to a global audience."

Highlights from the Heffel Fall 2019 Auction

• Fresh to the auction market is a rare masterpiece by Emily Carr, depicting a First Nations BC village and painted in 1912. Street, Alert Bay is the first major Carr canvas to come to market in years, and is an exceptional piece of Canadian history (est. $2,000,000 – 3,000,000). Carr's works are currently on display at Whistler's Audain Art Museum in the exhibition Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing.
• Femme au chapeau is a spectacular, museum-quality work by the world-renowned Pablo Picasso, portraying one of his most iconic subjects, Dora Maar. The 1941 canvas has never been shown in Canada and is expected to bring between $8 million and $10 million ($6,000,000 – 8,000,000 USD).
• Jean Paul Riopelle's major 1955 work Composition / Sans titre leads the Post-War & Contemporary Art session by estimate (est. $950,000 – 1,250,000). In addition to this extraordinary canvas, four additional works by the Automatist painter highlight the sale.  
• Lawren Harris's glowing circa 1928 Mountain Sketch LXX was consigned by actor and art collector Steve Martin (estimate: $300,000 – 500,000). Martin has contributed to the heightened international awareness for Harris's work. He co-curated the 2015 - 2016 exhibition The Idea of North and recently donated a major canvas to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
• Major canvases by J.W. Morrice are increasingly rare to the market, making Venice, Regatta, which was consigned from Paris, a true Canadian treasure (est. $700,000 – 900,000). Morrice's work is garnering international attention with the touring exhibition, Canada and Impressionism: New Horizons, proudly supported by Heffel, and currently on at Kunsthalle München, before travelling to Fondation de l'Hermitage in Lausanne, Musée Fabre in Montpellier and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
• Shaft, a powerful canvas by Colour Field painter Jack Bush will be offered from the Estate of Blema and H. Arnold Steinberg, revered Canadian philanthropists (est. $350,000 – 550,000). Included in a list of the top 200 collectors in the world by ARTnews, the late couple had extraordinary taste and a profound passion for art.
• Joan Mitchell, whose works are internationally collected and included in museums throughout the world, is featured in the Heffel sale with Untitled, a dynamic and colourful 1950s oil on canvas (est. $300,000 – 500,000).
• Barbara Hepworth, a masterful, internationally-acclaimed sculptor, shines in the sale with the 1966 Maquette for Dual Form (est. $500,000 – 700,000). Seven large iterations of her three-dimensional work adorn public spaces around the world.
• Continuing Heffel's partnership with the Art Gallery of Ontario, the sale will feature three special paintings by A.Y. Jackson, consigned from the museum's distinguished collection. The works present an opportunity for collectors to bring home a piece of Canadian history with significant museum and prior private collection provenance.

Heffel Fall 2019 Auction Schedule
To give interested buyers from across Canada an opportunity to view these works, the collection will be previewed in four cities leading up to the live auction:

• Calgary: Thursday, October 17 to Saturday, October 19, 11 am – 6 pm, Heffel Calgary (888 4th Avenue SW, Unit 609)
• Vancouver: Saturday, October 26 to Tuesday, October 29, 11 am – 6 pm, Heffel Gallery (2247 Granville Street)
• Montreal: Thursday, November 7 to Saturday, November 9, 11 am – 6 pm, Galerie Heffel (1840 rue Sherbrooke Ouest)
• Toronto: Friday, November 15 to Tuesday, November 19, 10 am – 6 pm and Wednesday, November 20, 10 am – 1 pm, Design Exchange (Exhibition Hall, 234 Bay Street)

The two-session live auction will take place on Wednesday, November 20 at Design Exchange (The Historic Trading Floor, 234 Bay Street, Toronto):

• 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

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