Josef Albers, Variant(From Ten Variants) (1967). Courtesy of Cowley Abbott.
Josef Albers, Variant(From Ten Variants) (1967). Courtesy of Cowley Abbott.

This month, Toronto auction house Cowley Abbott Fine Art is presenting a tightly curated online sale of international artworks. The 40-lot auction, open through tomorrow, offers some real highlights, including rare works by Bas Jan Ader and David Bowie, plus a luminous Marc Chagall lithograph. 

Don’t miss your chance to bid on these five auction highlights below.

 

William Scott
XIV/L (1974)
Estimate $12,000–16,000 CAD

William Scott, XIV/L (1974). Estimate $12,000–16,000 CAD.

This intimate gouache by British Modernist William Scott comes from a series of 50 gouaches, which were included in the book William Scott: Drawings. This work, XIV/L, possesses Scott’s distinctive focus on space, form, and color. The work repeats shapes that can be found in his larger canvases from the 1970s, including the frying pan shape in white, and the small black cup on a neutral ground.

José Clemente Orozco
Untitled (Cabezas De Guerreros)
Estimate $15,000–20,000 CAD

José Clemente Orozco, Untitled (Cabezas De Guerreros). Estimate $15,000–20,000 CAD.

An intriguing Jose Clemente Orozco oil on canvas, Untitled (Cabezas De Guerreros), depicts the stylized heads of two soldiers. The painting also boasts an impressive provenance coming from the estate of Leo Rosshandler, former curator and assistant director of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

 

David Bowie
D head XLVI (1997)
Estimate $9,000–12,000 CAD

David Bowie, D Head XLVI (1997). Estimate $9,000–12,000 CAD

This work, D head XLVI, offers the rare opportunity to collect a work by the iconic musician David Bowie. Between 1995 and ’97, Bowie created a series of approximately 47 works on canvas, which he titled “Dead Heads” (or “D Head”) and each title included a non-sequential roman numeral. Bowie’s subjects included band members, friends, acquaintances, and self-portraits. What’s more, this painting was picked up by its current owner for just $4.09 at a thrift store in Ontario. It’s likely to sell for upwards of $80,000. 

 

Marc Chagall
Hyménée (1961)
Estimate $12,000–18,000 CAD

Marc Chagal, Hyménée (1961). Estimate $12,000–18,000 CAD.

This compelling Marc Chagall color lithograph comes from the artist’s “Daphnis and Chole” series of 1961. In 1952, Chagall was commissioned by a French publisher to illustrate the Greek poet Longus’s retelling of the Daphnis and Chloe love story. Chagall created 42 lithographs to illustrate the love story, including Hyménée, the last scene in the series.

 

Bas Jan Ader
Grootvader Engel (Grandpa Angel) (1962)
Estimate $1,500–2,500 CAD

Bas Jan Ader, Grootvader Engel (Grandpa Angel) (1962). Estimate: $1,500–2,500 CAD.

Grootvader Engel (Grandpa Angel) is an exceptionally rare early gouache on paper by the artist Bas Jan Ader (Bastian Johan Christian Ader). Mainly known for his conceptual art and performance work, Grootvader Engel (Grandpa Angel) was made when the artist was just 20 years old.

 

Pablo Picasso
Visage No. 111 (1965)
Estimate $7,000–9,000 CAD

Pablo Picasso, Visage No. 111 (1965). Estimate $7,000–9,000 CAD.

This vibrant ceramic work by Pablo Picasso, Visage No. 111, was acquired directly from the famed Madoura Pottery studio in Vallauris, France, in 1965, making it one of his early ceramic works. In 1964, Picasso met Georges and Suzanne Ramié, the owners of the Madoura pottery studio, sparking off a creative relationship that would last the rest of Picasso’s life.