TORONTO -- A portrait by Pablo Picasso is among the 112 pieces from around the world that will be auctioned off in Toronto on Wednesday.
The Heffel Fine Art Auction House said that Picasso’s “Tête de femme,” an oil on canvas painted in 1939 and signed by the artist, leads the auction with a pre-auction estimate between $1.2 million and $1.6 million.
The auction house sold Picasso’s related “Femme au chapeau” last fall for about $9.16 million. The two pieces were created a day apart.
Canadian artist Alex Colville’s 1976 “Dog and Bridge” will also be auctioned off on Wednesday. The painting is one of Colville’s most widely exhibited pieces of works, the auction house said, with a pre-auction estimate of at least $800,000.
Other works highlighted at the auction include:
- Globally‐acclaimed abstract expressionist painter, Joan Mitchell’s “Untitled.”
- Seven pieces by Quebec's Jean Paul Riopelle.
- “Significant works” by the Group of Seven. This year marks 100 years since the artists formed the collective.
- Three works by Canadian artist Emily Carr.
- “Town of Cobalt” by Canadian artist Yvonne Housser.
- An “intricate and museum-quality sculpture” by Canadian artist David Altmejd.
Auction will be held virtually due to COVID-19
The auction itself will be held at Toronto’s Design Exchange, but it will not be open to the public due to the risks associated with COVID-19.
Instead, bidders are being asked to take part in the auction virtually. Interested parties will be able to stream the sale on the auction house’s website, and can place their bids online, by telephone, or through absentee ballots.
“The past few months have brought about unprecedented change, and it’s been incredible to see the ways that organizations have pivoted in response,” David Heffel, President of Heffel Fine Art Auction House, said in a statement. “We’re proud to be a leader in the transformation of Canada’s art market and find new ways to bring art awareness, experiences and important masterpieces to collectors and enthusiasts.”
The auction house expects to sell all the pieces for between $10 million and $15 million.
