VANCOUVER -- A painting by Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris fetched just under $1 million Wednesday at the Heffel Fine Art auction in Vancouver.
Harris' work, entitled "Lake Superior Sketch LXI," sold for $973,500 to surpass the pre-auction estimate of between $500,000 and $700,000. Another painting by the Brantford, Ont., native, "The Old Stump," sold for more than $3.5 million at a Heffel auction in 2009.
One painting topped the $1 million mark. "Pleine saison" by Jean Paul Riopelle was auctioned for $1.3 million, more than double the pre-sale estimate.
Eight Emily Carr lots, which included rare, early illustrations, sold for a combined $1.5 million at the Vancouver Convention Centre. One of her paintings, entitled "Trees in Swirling Sky," was expected to sell in the $225,000 range, but sold for $590,000.
Other highlights included Jack Bush's "Temple" selling for $438,750 -- well above the pre-sale maximum estimate of $175,000.
Michael Snow's "Solar" more than doubled its pre-auction estimate of up to $60,000 by selling for $129,800, a record for the artist
Two lots by Quebec artist Jean Paul Lemieux collected $494,325, led by "La Quebecoise," which sold for $442,500.
E.J. Hughes' painting called "Looking South Over Sooke Harbour" beat the high end of the pre-sale estimate of $150,000 and sold for $212,400.
And there was one oil painting by Edwin Holgate, titled "Grand Manan," which sold for a modest $12,000. It was recently bought at a garage sale for just $2.
The Heffel Fine Art Auction House says the $9.7 million in sales Wednesday night surpassed pre-sale estimates of $6 to $8 million. Sales figures include an 18 per cent buyer's premium.
