Cowley Abbott’s Fall Live Auction of Important Canadian Art will take place on November 26 at Toronto’s Globe and Mail Centre, featuring a curated selection of historical and contemporary Canadian works. Highlights include Jean Paul Riopelle’s *Sans titre* (1950, est. CA$1.2–1.5M), Emily Carr’s *Pole of Harhu* (1912, est. CA$800,000–$1.2M), Lawren Harris’s *Rocky Mountains; Abstract Composition* (est. CA$400,000–$600,000), Jack Bush’s *Awning* (1974, est. $200,000–$300,000), and Jean Paul Lemieux’s *Jeune fille en jaune* (1964). Founded in 2013 as Canada’s first online art auction house, Cowley Abbott has evolved into a hybrid gallery and digital marketplace, with onsite viewing at its Dundas Street West gallery through the auction date.
This sale matters because it showcases the breadth of Canadian art history—from the Group of Seven and early 20th-century Indigenous subject matter to modern abstraction and contemporary innovation—while reflecting the growing market for Canadian art. The inclusion of works with deep provenance, such as Riopelle’s canvas acquired directly from the artist, and Carr’s culturally significant Gitxsan pole study, underscores the auction’s role in preserving and valuing Canada’s artistic heritage. As a hybrid online and physical auction house, Cowley Abbott also exemplifies the shifting dynamics of the art market toward digital accessibility.