Coming up this month, Canadian art auctioneer Cowley Abbott is slated to stage their Spring Live Auction, comprised of two sessions that will both take place on Thursday, May 30, 2024.
The first session of the sale, taking place at 7 p.m. EDT, features a diverse range of works by both Canadian and international artists, with many pieces marking the artist’s debut with Cowley Abbott this season. Drawn from a diverse and esteemed roster of sources—from private collections and estates to galleries and artists themselves—the works included range from lesser-known gems to pieces by canonical names, such as Tom Thomson’s Spring, Algonquin Park (1914).
The second session, which will directly follow the first, brings together artwork from three important collections. The session opens with a selection of 14 artworks that will be sold to benefit the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq, helping the institution create an endowment fund with the purpose of diversifying its permanent collection. Next, two artworks from the Collection of Art Windsor-Essex will go to the block in support of AWE’s own endowment fund, with the aim of caring and adding diversity to its collection. Finally, the last selection of works come from a private collection centered on Canadian art and artists, which includes masterworks by some of the country’s most formidable artists.
Below, we explore a number of the most eye-catching and intriguing lots drawn from across both sale sessions—and we saved the best for last.
Jack Bush, Zheeg (1975)
Est. $250,000–$350,000 CAD
Jack Bush, Zheeg (1975). Est. $250,000–$350,000 CAD. Courtesy of Cowley Abbott.
Canadian painter Jack Bush (1909–1977) was a pioneering figure within the development and trajectory of abstractionism in the 20th century. Consistently lauded by influential critics including Ken Carpenter and Clement Greenberg, Bush’s oeuvre is a testament to the use of color, and over the course of his career was associated with Abstract Expressionism, Color Field painting, and Lyrical Abstraction. Zheeg (1975) is exemplary of Bush’s mature work, wherein he deftly harnesses color, process, and composition.
Shepard Fairey, Obey Giant Star (1998)
Est. $65,000–$85,000 CAD
Shepard Fairey, Obey Giant Star (1998). Est. $65,000–$85,000. Courtesy of Cowley Abbott.
American artist Shepard Fairey famously first gained recognition within the 1980s skateboarding scene, and today has become synonymous with street art and activism. His use of the “Andre the Giant” motif began in the late 1980s while he was attending the Rhode Island School of Design, and later developed into his “Obey Giant” series—arguably one of the most famous of his career. According to the artist, the work does not have any inherent meaning, but instead is meant to inspire reaction or reflection within the viewer.
Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger (F&S II.144) (1975)
Est. $140,000–$180,000 CAD
Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger (F&S II.144) (1975). Est. $140,000–$180,000 CAD. Courtesy of Cowley Abbott.
Andy Warhol’s iconic portraits of celebrities and famous figures solidified him as one of the most famous artist’s of the 20th century—and his portraits of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger are no exception. While many of his prior portraits were based on stock photographs, Warhol shot Jagger himself, giving the works a sense of immediacy and intimacy. It also marks an early use of mixed media for the artist, employing colored graphic art paper with halftones and drawing lines on the image.
Li Chen, Wisdom Bodhisattva and Fulfillment Bodhisattva (2001)
Est. $200,000–$300,000 CAD
Li Chen, Wisdom Bodhisattva and Fulfillment Bodhisattva (2001). Est. $200,000–$300,000 CAD. Courtesy of Cowley Abbott.
Taiwanese sculptor Li Chen maintained a practice that centered on ideas around voids, emptiness, and the possibility therein, as opposed to weight and mass in the work of Fernando Botero, whose work Li’s is frequently compared to. Inspired by themes from both Buddhism and Taoism, the two present works originate from the series “Spiritual Journey Through the Great Ether,” which proposes a new approach to statue making, and poetically illustrate traditional Chinese philosophies—an approach that can be seen across his oeuvre.
Paul Kane, Party of Indians in Two Canoes on Mountain Lake (ca. 1855)
Est. $600,000–$800,000 CAD
Paul Kane, Party of Indians in Two Canoes on Mountain Lake (ca. 1855). Est. $600,000–$800,000 CAD. Courtesy of Cowley Abbott.
Irish-Canadian painter Paul Kane is best known for his works focused on First Nations peoples of Western Canada and Native Americans of the Columbia District in the United States. Primarily self-taught, Kane’s paintings are recognized for their atmospheric compositions, nuanced color palettes, and narrative qualities. The present work is unique in that it is his only known piece that is set within the eastern Rockies, with the figures creating the sense of narrative Kane is known for. The sale of this piece is in support of Art Windsor-Essex’s endowment fund.
Lawren Harris, Brazeau Snowfield, Jasper Park. Mountain Painting XII (1924)
Est. $2,000,000–$3,000,000 CAD
Lawren Harris, Brazeau Snowfield, Jasper Park. Mountain Painting XII (1924). Est. $2,000,000–$3,000,000 CAD. Courtesy of Cowley Abbott.
An influential member of the Group of Seven, formerly referred to as the Algonquin School, Canadian landscape painter Lawren Harris instilled an element of spirituality into his work and explored early iterations of Modern abstractionism. While his early style recalled Impressionism, as his practice matured, he embraced a more minimalistic approach. In the present lot, the distinctive cropping of the landscape scene and bold use of color allude to the artist’s later stylistic evolutions and capture the sense of spiritualism that Harris frequently incorporated into his work. The work was also clearly of import to the artist as well, as he retained it in his own personal collection until his death.
Explore these lots and more in Cowley Abbott’s Spring Live Auction, taking place May 30, 2024.