Estate sale Emily Carr painting bought for US$50 nets C$290,000 at Toronto auction

By The Canadian Press on November 20, 2024.

An Emily Carr canvas, unearthed in a barn in the Hamptons, hangs in the Heffel Fine Art Auction House, in Toronto on Tuesday. The piece, titled Masset, Q.C.I., was painted in 1912 as part of Carr's efforts to create an extensive record of the artistic heritage of First Nations communities in British Columbia. An Emily Carr painting that sold for US$50 at an estate sale has fetched C$290,000 at a Toronto auction. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO – An Emily Carr painting that sold for US$50 at an estate sale has fetched C$290,000 at a Toronto auction.

Heffel Fine Art Auction House says “Masset, Q.C.I.” sold for $290,000 at its fall sale Wednesday night.

That’s above a presale estimate of $100,000 to $200,000, and does not include auction house fees.

The oil on canvas painting depicts a carved grizzly bear atop a memorial totem pole in the village of Masset, B.C., on Haida Gwaii.

It was discovered several months ago at a barn sale in the Hamptons, where a New York-based art dealer bought it for US$50.

“Masset, Q.C.I.” was painted in 1912 as part of Carr’s efforts to create an extensive record of the artistic heritage of First Nations communities in British Columbia.

It’s believed to have been a gift to Carr’s friend Nell Cozier and her husband in the 1930s and has been hanging in a barn in the Hamptons since. The couple had moved to the area to work as caretakers for a large estate after originally living in Victoria.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2024.