Heffel Fine Art Auction House

The Heffel Fine Art Auction House’s spring 2016 auction this May is a tribute to the seminal moments of both Canada’s art history and the careers of the artists who defined it. Heffel will offer 144 works from international artists in two sessions, titled Post-War & Contemporary Art and Fine Canadian Art. The former’s touchstone work is E.J. Hughes’s The Post Office at Courtenay, B.C., an oil painting the artist began after his discharge from the military as a war artist of the Second World War, and which took him three years to complete. Three Lawren Harris paintings will be on offer, including Laurentian Landscape, regarded as a foundational work for the Group of Seven as it was one of the first examples of the style of landscapes the group would become famous for. A rare watercolour by Emily Carr (whose work The Crazy Stair (The Crooked Staircase) sold for $3.39-million in fall 2013, the largest sum ever paid at an auction for the Canadian artist at the time) will also be presented, along with works by Alex Colville, Jack Shadbolt, Gordon Smith, and more. “The pieces on offer in the spring live auction tell stories of the most important periods that shaped Canadian art history, and reflect the most prolific eras of our most beloved artists,” says Heffel vice president Robert Heffel. “We are excited to offer collectors access to these museum-quality works, many of which will spend lifetimes in private hands following the spring sale.” Both personal and national pivotal moments—illuminated on canvas—convene this month, in a celebration of Canada’s artistic legacy.