TORONTO.- Heffel Fine Art Auction House, Canada’s art market leader, held its semi-annual live auction featuring more than 100 museum-quality works. Outstanding examples by Lawren Harris, Josef Albers and Jack Bush highlighted the sale, propelling the fall auction total to a noteworthy $15 million. The success of this fall auction validates Canada’s position as a leader in the global art market with international sellers and buyers competing for top works. (All prices are in Canadian dollars and include a buyer's premium.)

International interest for Lawren Harris’s highly anticipated Mountains East of Maligne Lake propelled the canvas to an impressive $3,001,250. Consigned from an important private collection in England, the extensive exhibition history and sought-after subject matter factored into its successful sale. Inclusive of today’s auction, Heffel has sold 336 works by Harris totalling more than $90 million.

“This has been a huge year for art auctions globally, and this sale was no exception,” said Robert Heffel, Vice President of Heffel Fine Art Auction House. “Now more than ever, Canada is as dominant as any other market and Heffel is proud to be at the forefront of this evolution.”

Noteworthy results from the Fall 2017 Live Auction

• Lawren Harris’s iconic canvas Mountains East of Maligne Lake sold for an impressive $3,001,250 (est. $2,500,000 – 3,500,000).

• Significant oil on board works by Harris were also offered in the fall sale, including Morin Island, Eclipse Sound, North Baffin Island, Arctic Painting XXXVI which sold for $1,261,250 (est. $700,000 – 900,000) and Cathedral Mountain from Yoho Valley, Mountain Sketch LXXXVI which sold for $931,250 (est. $800,000 – 1,000,000).

• Three commanding canvases by Jack Bush were led by Winged Totem, which sold for $601,250 (est. $250,000 – 350,000). Still and 3 on Purple also exceeded presale estimates, and achieved $361,250 and $391,250, respectively.

• James Wilson Morrice’s serene La petite plage de St-Malo sold for $481,250 demonstrating the continued strength in the Quebec impressionist market (est. $80,000 – 120,000).

• A small, iconic work by German artist, Josef Albers garnered global interest in today’s sale. Participation from a number of bidders on the phones and in the Toronto auction room drove Study for Homage to the Square: New Garland to a price of $ 337,250 (est. $80,000 – 100,000).

• Composition 10, a work from Lawren Harris’s transformative period of abstraction sold for $337,250 (est. $300,000 – 400,000). The canvas has been exhibited extensively throughout North America and is included in a range of important literature.

• On the heels of Heffel’s record-breaking sale in May, Jean Paul Riopelle’s stunning 1953 canvas, Composition fetched $481,250 (est. $400,000 – 600,000).

• Works by members of the Group of Seven were offered in the fall sale, including A.J. Casson’s geometric and spectacular Old Lumber Village. The canvas sold for a notable $361,250 (est. $200,000 – 300,000).

• Significant interest in Emily Carr’s early watercolour Indian Encampment, Vancouver drove the sale price to four times its presale estimate at $229,250 (est. $50,000 – 70,000). Carr’s later work, Beach Below Royal Roads Training School, Albert Head, Victoria, BC also doubled its estimate and sold for $325,250 (est. $125,000 – 175,000).

Heffel is currently accepting consignments for the spring 2018 live auction in Toronto, inclusive of international works of art. The deadline for spring consignments is February 28, 2018.