Collector battles were to be expected for this sale and they did indeed take place, allowing Heffel to achieve its most lucrative fall sale. There were many treasures on sale, including six works by Lawren Harris, a screen print by Andy Warhol depicting Elizabeth II and paintings by Jean Paul Lemieux, James Wilson Morrice, Jack Bush, Clarence Gagnon, Marcelle Ferron and Jean Paul Riopelle. .
Lawren Harris’ paintings are as popular as ever. Of the 7.3 million paid for six works, note the 2.5 million for the Toronto landscape House in the Ward, Winter, City Painting No. 1. Three other of his paintings have gone beyond their initial estimate. The sale set a new record for Andy Warhol’s serigraph depicting Queen Elizabeth II in royal blue, at $1,141,250 when it was estimated between $500,000 and $600,000.
But the pleasant surprise of the evening for Quebec art was the purchase price of a work by painter Marcelle Ferron. A magnificent Untitled of 1962 that we had noticed during our visit to the Montreal offices of Heffel. Estimated between $200,000 and $300,000, the work was sold for 1.8 million! A new record for Marcelle Ferron.