Stratford company hosts major online art auction – Stratford Beacon-Herald

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If you’ve ever wanted a Fernand Toupin original or a wildlife painting by internationally renowned St. Thomas artist Ron Kingswood, now is your chance.

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Stratford’s famed auction house, Shackleton’s Real Estate and Auction Co., launched a major online art auction this week that features both artists, as well pieces by such famous names as Picasso and Rembrandt.

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The work being offered as part of the April 24 to May 1 auction include sculptures, painting, etchings and limited-edition prints by dozens of other well-known artists, including Paul Fournier and Sigurd Winge, along with works from celebrated Inuit artists Peter Pitseolak, Kenojuak Ashevak, Lucy Qinnuayak and Lucy Meeko.

The auction items comprise works from the estate of renowned Canadian choreographer Brian Macdonald, formerly an associate director at the Stratford Festival, and his wife, the acclaimed ballerina Annette av Paul. Other items were part of the collection of well-known local psychologist and former Beacon Herald columnist Douglas Reberg.

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“We are honoured to be hosting this auction on behalf of people who had such a major impact on our artistic community and beyond,” Brent Shackleton, owner of Shackleton’s Real Estate and Auction Co., said in a release. “The sculptures, paintings and works of art in this sale will draw attention from collectors across the world.”

The online bidding officially launched on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The bidding is slated to run for one week before ending on Wednesday, May 1, at 6 p.m. The auction is online only at shackletons.hibid.com/auctions, but in-person previews of the sale items are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Thursday, April 25, to Wednesday, May 1, excluding the weekend.

“Our auction team is ready to provide any additional information people may need,” Shackleton said.

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Some of the more notable pieces being auctioned include:

• Three abstract paintings by Fernand Toupin;
• Works by Norwegian painter Sigurd Winge;
• A numbered woodcut print by Canadian artist Walter J. Philips;
• A wildlife oil painting by Canadian artist Ron Kingswood;
• Prints by Inuit graphic artist Lucy Qinnuayak;
• Two watercolour paintings by Murray W. MacDonald;
• Numerous costume sketches by artists including Erté, Leon Bakst, Tanya Moiseiwitsch, Brian Jackson, Jurgen Rose and Leslie Hurry;
• Three ceramic “Funk Art” frog sculptures by David Gilhooly;
• Inuit sculptures in bone, soapstone, and ivory;
• Early edition copies of books, including To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway; and
• A Medieval Renaissance-style suit of armour.

Other noteworthy items on the online block include glass objects, costumes, leather jackets, baskets, furniture and decorative items.

To take a look at the sale items, select “view catalog” when visiting the auction website. To register to bid on sale items, visitors can click on the appropriate link for an invitation to log in or register.

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