Lawren Harris painting fetches $1.12M at Toronto auction

A painting by Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris was the star attraction Thursday at the Heffel Fine Art Auction House fall auction.

The painting, entitled Houses on Gerrard Street, sold for $1.12 million, far surpassing the pre-auction estimate of $350,000-$450,000.

Five works by Jean Paul Riopelle, includingOmbrages and Sans titre also surpassed estimates and sold for a combined $2.25 million.

Other highlights of the auction, held at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Toronto, included Study for Snowplow by Alex Colville, which sold for $47,200. That established an auction record for a Colville work on paper.

William Kurelek's Retired Sea Captain in Newfoundland was sold for $100,300 far above its pre-auction estimate of $40,000-$60,000.

Another work that far exceeded estimates was Uplands by Ivan Kenneth Eyre. It was expected to sell for as much as $60,000, but fetched $318,600.

The auction house also said Study for Regatta, Saint Malo by James Wilson Morrice set a record for a sketch by selling for $236,000.

Paintings by Paul Peel (Goodbye) and Jacques Hurtubise (Pigritte) also sold for more than doubled their estimates.

With seven record-breaking sales among the 142 lots on offer, Heffel said this year's live auction reached a total of $12 million.

All prices include an 18 per cent buyer's premium.

"This season's auction featured key pieces of original Canadian art and reflected the strength of our country's art market," said auction house president David K.J. Heffel.

"We had record attendance at the three-city previews and again tonight with a packed ballroom for both sales, which is a testament to the passion collectors have for Canadian art."