Bylot Island I by Lawren Harris (1885-1970).
HEFFEL FINE ART AUCTION HOUSE
- The painting Bylot Island I by Lawren Harris (1885-1970). Painted 1930-31; oil on canvas; 81.3 centimetres by 114.3 centimetres.
- The sale Wednesday at 7 p.m. for an estimated $1.5-million to $2.5-million.
- The seller Toronto philanthropist Richard Ivey, as part of a consignment of six works (two by David Milne, another Harris, a Franklin Carmichael, a Jean Paul Lemieux).
- The selling points It's in pristine condition. It's big. Paintings from Harris's Arctic trips are much sought-after and valuable (a Baffin Island landscape sold to Ken Thomson for $2.43-million in 2001 and was donated to the Art Gallery of Ontario).Plus, the peaks in the background are covered in snow: Three of the top-selling Harris paintings feature snow, while 10 of the top 20 paintings sold at auction are filled with the white stuff.