Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule May 22, 2026 visibility 8 link 14 artists, 1 gallery

Heffel’s spring sales, featuring rediscovered royal portrait and E.J. Hughes seascape, tally $16.2m

Heffel's spring auction in Toronto on 21 May achieved a total of C$22.4m ($16.2m), led by E.J. Hughes's seascape *Coastal Boats Near Sidney, BC (1948)*, which sold for C$5.7m ($4.1m)—more than tripling its high estimate and setting a new auction record for the artist. The painting was consigned by Emily Carr University of Art and Design, with proceeds benefiting student awards. Other highlights included works by Mary Pratt, Jean Paul Riopelle, Alex Colville, Takao Tanabe, Tom Thomson, Arthur Lismer, and A.J. Casson, with four lots crossing the million-dollar mark and a 93.75% sell-through rate.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule May 23, 2026 visibility 5 link 27 artists, 2 galleries

Opinion: In galleries across Canada, too much art is being hidden away

Don LePan, a novelist, book publisher, and painter, argues that public art galleries across Canada are failing to display their permanent collections, using the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina as a prime example. During a visit in early March, LePan found that none of the gallery's extensive permanent collection—which includes works by Group of Seven artists, European masters like Picasso and Gauguin, and modernists such as Agnes Martin—was on view. Instead, the entire exhibition space was devoted to three special shows: a photographic and conceptual art exhibition by Plains Cree artist Joi T. Arcand, a selection of works by 2025 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts recipients, and an Indigenous art exhibition. LePan praises these exhibits but criticizes the gallery's decision to completely exclude its permanent collection.

newspaper The Globe and Mail open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 22, 2026 visibility 6 link 8 artists

Rediscovered Old Master Painting Eclipses Estimate at Auction

A rediscovered portrait of Prince Rupert, long attributed to the studio of Anthony van Dyck and later to Jacob Huysmans, sold for CA$217,250 ($153,000) at Heffel Fine Art Auction House’s Spring Sale on May 21, more than double its low estimate. New research identified the work as by Peter Lely, court painter to King Charles II. The painting had belonged to the Hudson Bay Company for centuries and was part of a court-approved sale of the company’s collection following its 2024 bankruptcy. The 80-lot sale also saw a record for E.J. Hughes’s "Coastal Boats Near Sidney, BC" (1948), which sold for CA$5.7 million ($4.1 million), and strong results for Group of Seven artists Arthur Lismer, A.J. Casson, and Lawren Harris.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article local schedule May 25, 2026 visibility 2 link 8 artists, 1 gallery

Mayberry Fine Art sees new location as blank canvas, celebrating with auction, exhibition

Mayberry Fine Art, a family-owned gallery in Winnipeg, is relocating after 23 years at 212 McDermot Ave. to a larger warehouse-style space at 661 Wall St. next month. The move is driven by the gallery's growth and the need for improved exhibition space, as the current building was originally an office and posed logistical challenges like parking and lost loading zones. To mark the transition, the gallery is hosting its Spring Fine Art Auction, running online until May 28, featuring 89 paintings and sculptures expected to fetch between $1.1 million and $1.5 million, with works by notable Canadian artists such as Alfred Casson, Arthur Lismer, and Norval Morrisseau.

newspaper Winnipeg Free Press open_in_new Read original