It’s a question Monty Hall might have asked on Let’s Make a Deal when the Winnipegger was at the top of the game-show world.
“Would you rather have these three paintings on this desk or this stack of hundred-dollar bills?” one can imagine Hall saying while opening a briefcase full of dough for everyone to ogle.
The contestant would be a winner with either choice, but choosing the art could make that person an instant millionaire. That is, if the estimates are correct for the June 8 sale by Toronto-based Cowley Abbott auction house, which includes a series of Andy Warhol silkscreens the Winnipeg Art Gallery is putting on the block.
MIKE SUDOMA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Rob Cowley and Lydia Abbot of Cowley Abbott auctions display works by David Bowie (from left), Tom Thomson and Lawren Harris.
The three paintings that were on display at Mayberry Fine Art last week — Nail-head of Trent Reznor by rock legend David Bowie, Tom Thomson’s Ragged Oaks, a 1916 landscape, and Lawren Harris’s Red House — are three priceless objects that will nonetheless be given a value at the auction of paintings and prints in Toronto, which will be livestreamed so buyers around the world can bid.
Rob Cowley, a partner at Cowley Abbott, remembers an auction of a sketch by Canadian painter J.W. Beatty that began at $13,000 — two bidders shot the price up to $140,000.
“You could feel it in the audience, it was like watching a tennis match,” he says. “It was back and forth and relentless. It was a record for a sketch for J.W. Beatty.”
The artists’ names will do much of the heavy lifting when the auctioneer opens the bidding, but so does the painting’s subject, the number of times it’s been presented in exhibitions, and the work’s provenance — its history that confirms its authenticity.
Bowie, the singer and writer of hits including Space Oddity, Starman and Let’s Dance, who died in 2016, was also a painter, sculptor and art collector. He painted the portrait of Reznor, the Nine Inch Nails frontman, in 1995 after they became friends while touring together.
As important for buyers is the fine print within the Cowley Abbott catalogue for the June 8 sale: “Titled and annotated with lyrics; signed, titled and dated 1995 on the reverse.” Its suggested price range is between $35,000 and $55,000.
“Collectors want to know (who owned the artwork), and it’s something we really research and talk to the owner who’s consigning the work to us,” says Lydia Abbott, also a Cowley Abbott partner.
The other paintings are by two of the most notable names in Canadian art: Tom Thomson and his friend Lawren Harris. Harris co-founded the Group of Seven, the renowned art collective that created some of the greatest Canadian landscape paintings of the early 20th century.
The most valuable painting of the three is Thomson’s Ragged Oaks, which he completed one year before his death in 1917; it was in his family’s possession until 1971, when it was bought by an unnamed private collector, who kept it in pristine condition despite it being 106 years old. The estimated price range for the sale is $1 million to $1.5 million.
“Sometimes an artist hits it out of the park in terms of what we celebrate them for, and sometimes it’s just a quick sketch.” Cowley says. “Right now, Thomson’s market is strong and he’s very much in fashion among collectors, especially rare work.”
Harris’s paintings were already highly valued in 2016, but they gained even more notoriety when actor and comedian Steve Martin — a lifelong art collector and fan of the painter’s work — co-curated an exhibition of Harris paintings in Toronto.
MIKE SUDOMA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
“Collectors want to know (who owned the artwork), and it’s something we really research and talk to the owner who’s consigning the work to us,” says Lydia Abbott (right).
While Red House is slightly larger than a dollar bill, the sale catalogue lists its price at $18,000 to $22,000; a much larger canvas of the same subject recently sold for $5 million, Abbott says.
A set of works that checks all of Cowley Abbott’s boxes is four 1985 silkscreens of Queen Elizabeth II by Warhol, the American pop artist.
The WAG is using money from the series’ sales to purchase contemporary Indigenous art that will diversify its permanent collection; Cowley Abbott is donating its commission from the Warhol sale to the gallery’s fund.
The four silkscreens of the queen adorn the cover of the auction house’s catalogue for its June 8 sale, its first to include non-Canadian art. Cowley Abbott has suggested a price range between $700,000 and $900,000 for the set.
“Oftentimes you’ll see one of the Warhols, but what’s great here is the collector who donated them (to the WAG) did assemble them in two separate purchases,” Abbott says.
Alan.Small@winnipegfreepress.com
Twitter: @AlanDSmall
Alan Small Reporter
Alan Small has been a journalist at the Free Press for more than 22 years in a variety of roles, the latest being a reporter in the Arts and Life section.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
