Canada's Leader in Handling Important Fine Art Estates

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Heffel Fine Art Auction House a Proven Leader in Handling Important Estates

November 4, 2010

Charles Band, Arthur Erickson, Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton and Mary Breckenridge are renowned as great Canadian art collectors. In the last two years, Heffel Fine Art Auction House has been selected to represent their estates, establishing Heffel as the go-to auction house for important Canadian estates of art.

"It is a humbling honour to be entrusted with works of such national importance," says David Heffel, president of Heffel. "We are fully aware of the significance of the masterpieces in these collections. Many of them are very important to Canadian art historical records and have been featured in major exhibitions and published in catalogues. These works are a part of our collective national art history and we are both privileged and honoured to work with them."

The collection of Charles Band was inherited by his daughter Helen E. Band. It contained paintings, drawings and sculpture by some of Canada's finest artists, including Lawren Harris, Emily Carr, Arthur Lismer, A.Y. Jackson, Fred Varley, Henry Moore, B.C. Binning and Harold Town. In the fall of 2009, 15 masterworks from the revered Band family collections were consigned to Heffel. Each piece was carefully researched and detailed biographies of collectors Charles and Helen Band were written. Heffel's catalogues are as meticulous as museum catalogues.

"Every time we handle an estate collection we are reminded how fortunate we are," Arthur Lismer remarks Robert Heffel, vice-president of Heffel. "We feel a great sense of respect for Small Islands, Georgian Bay both the works and the families. It is not an easy thing to part with revered objects from your family history. Some of these families have lived with these artworks for generations. And while we see them as iconic works, they see them as members of the family."

In the spring of 2010, seven works from the collection and family of renowned Canadian architect Arthur Erickson were consigned to Heffel. Erickson had developed personal relationships with many artists over the course of his career, buying works from them to add to his collection. Claude Tousignant's oil on canvas from 1974, Double 36 (Mars Phthalocyanine) was estimated at $10,000 to $15,000. When sold, this lot more than doubled its high-end estimate, setting an artist's record of $49,725.

Attention to detail and careful handling of all the works entrusted to them established Heffel as estate specialists. This led to the consignment of 36 outstanding works from the Theodosia Dawes Bond Thornton Estate in May of 2010. These works alone realized a combined total of $6.6 million. This fall, 18 further masterworks from the estate have been consigned, including six Lawren Harris works. According to both Robert and David Heffel, Mrs. Thornton's discerning skill in collecting becomes more and more obvious as works continue to come forward. The fall sale offering features Arthur Lismer's lush landscapes, including Reflections, Georgian Bay and Small Islands, Georgian Bay, with both oil on boards estimated at $60,000 to $80,000. It also includes six works by Harris and seven A.Y. Jacksons. Jackson's Jackfish Lake, an oil on panel, circa 1924, is a A.Y. Jackson classic Group of Seven period work. It is estimated at $20,000 to $30,000. Fish Racks, Jackfish Lake Fort Resolution was painted in 1928 on one of Jackson's legendary trips with Dr. Frederick Banting. This oil on panel has a conservative estimate of $20,000 to $25,000.

Mrs. Thornton's estate holds some of Canada's finest artworks. Many of these have rarely been seen outside of her collection; their publication in the Heffel catalogue adds a new slate of works to the art historical record.

"We are so lucky to work with such great art, often pieces that no one except the artist, the collector and their family and friends have seen before," says David Heffel. "It is a privilege to present such works to Canadians for the first time and we are aware of the honour and great degree of responsibility that comes along with this."

Also consigned to the upcoming November 25 auction are works from the Estate of Mary Breckenridge. Two Lawren Harris works from this estate are classic examples of the outstanding works up for sale. Mountain, Baffin Island North, Arctic Sketch XII, an extremely rare 12 x 15 inch oil sketch for North Shore, Baffin Island II - in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada - is estimated at $700,000 to $900,000. The powerful Lake Superior Sketch from circa 1922 to 1923 is the oil sketch for Clouds, Lake Superior, which is in the collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery. It is estimated at $300,000 to $500,000.

"The Breckenridge works were collected by John and Ann Breckenridge in the 1930s and 1940s. Dr. Breckenridge and his wife loved the landscape of Canada and felt the works they collected expressed its spirit," says Robert Heffel, "These works are from the estate of Mary Breckenridge, Dr. Breckenridge's second wife. All eight works have been in storage since 2000, when the house was sold after John's second wife, Mary Hewer Breckenridge, moved to a seniors' lodge in Ottawa. We are pleased to see them out on our gallery walls where they can be enjoyed, and to be able to offer them to our collectors."

The Breckenridge estate also includes three Franklin Carmichael oil on panels, each estimated at $150,000 to $250,000 and a gorgeous J.E.H. MacDonald oil on board titled Spruce and Maple, Algoma. This work is dated 1920 and has a conservative estimate of $100,000 to $150,000.

"Estates are a window into a particular collector, their likes and dislikes, the period in which they collected and the times that shaped their lives," adds Robert Heffel. "They are a fascinating part of the fine art auction industry, and we are proud to take a leading role in the care, expertise and finesse in handling important estates of Canadian J.E.H. MacDonald art." Spruce and Maple, Algoma The Heffel spring 2010 Auction set 13 records and saw $22.2 million in combined sales, a result well past the $12 to $15 million pre-sale estimate. Second only to Heffel's $23 million May 2007 sale, it was the next highest achieving sale in Canadian auction history. This year to date, Heffel is the only auction house to have exceeded the one million dollar mark for a single lot.

Heffel Fine Art Auction House has the most experienced team of fine art specialists in the business, providing customers with the best opportunity for maximizing the value of their works. Heffel has national presence with offices and galleries in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, and a representative in Calgary.

The fall Auction consists of 180 works of art by Canada's greatest painters divided into two sessions. Information and the online version of the sale catalogues can be found at www.heffel.com.

Auction Date and Preview Schedule:

AUCTION Thursday, November 25, 2010 4:00 PM EST, Canadian Post~War & Contemporary Art 7:00 PM EST, Fine Canadian Art

Park Hyatt Hotel Queen's Park Ballroom 4 Avenue Road, Toronto

Preview at Heffel Gallery, Vancouver: 2247 Granville Street Saturday, October 30 to Tuesday, November 2, 11 am - 6 pm

Preview at Galerie Heffel, Montreal: 1840 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest Thursday, November 11 to Saturday, November 13, 11 am - 6 pm

Preview at Heffel Gallery, Toronto: 13 & 14 Hazelton Avenue Saturday, November 20 to Wednesday, November 24, 11 am - 6 pm Thursday, November 25, 10 am - 12 pm 13 & 14 Hazelton Avenue

For more information contact:

Robert Heffel: 604 732-6505 or 604 418-0100 [email protected]

David Heffel: 604 732-6505 or 604 418-6505 [email protected]

Heffel Fine Art Auction House - Canada's National Fine Art Auction House

Toronto Office: Vancouver Office: 13 Hazelton Avenue, Toronto 2247 Granville Street, Vancouver Ontario, Canada M5R 2E1 British Columbia, Canada V6H 3G1 tel: (416) 961 6505 tel: (604) 732 6505 fax: (416) 961 4245 fax: (604) 732 4245 toll free: (866) 961 6505 toll free: (800) 528 9608

Montreal Office: Ottawa Office ~ by appointment: 1840 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal 104 Daly Avenue, Ottawa Quebec, Canada H3H 1E4 Ontario, Canada K1N 6E7 tel: (613) 230 6505 tel: (514) 939 6505 fax: (613) 230 8884 fax: (514) 939 1100 toll free: (866) 747 6505 toll free: (866) 939 6505