Maud Lewis paintings bought for $12 in 1967 fetch $41,000 at New Hamburg auction

Folk artist paintings at a New Hamburg auction Two paintings bought roadside in 1967 for $12 could bring in thousands at a local auction. CTV’s Ricardo Veneza explains.

A pair of paintings by late Nova Scotian folk artist Maud Lewis have sold for a combined $41,000 at a New Hamburg auction.

The artworks were among 291 pieces available at the Canadiana and Folk Art auction in New Hamburg Saturday.

‘Oxen in Winter’ sold for $20,000, while ‘Horse Pulling Logs’ went for $21,000.

Originally purchased from the artist at her Nova Scotia home in 1967 for $12, with the owner since passed away, her niece Julie Leblanc said it was time to find the paintings a new home.

“I hope it’s not just someone that will take it and stick it away and it’s something that they’ve conquered. Instead, it’s something that they love and it’s somewhere other people can enjoy the story for years to come,” Leblanc told CTV News on Friday, the day before the auction.

She says proceeds from the sale will help restore her aunt’s 18th century inn in Nova Scotia.

Five other works by Maud Lewis sold for between $16,000 and $37,000 at Saturday’s auction.

Lewis, who is today one of Canada’s most celebrated folk artists, lived much of her life in poverty in a one-room house in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia. She suffered from debilitating arthritis and sold her paintings on the roadside, often for $5.

She gained national attention in 1965 – five years before her death – when she was the subject of a CBC documentary. The exposure led to a flood of requests for Lewis’ work, and demand for her colourful paintings has continued to grow after her death.

Last May, one of her pieces, once traded for some grilled cheese sandwiches, sold for a record $350,000 at auction in New Hamburg.

With files from CTV National News