May 25, 2017
By Jane Brown
A painting by the late Quebec artist Jean-Paul Riopelle is now second on the list of Canada’s most expensive works of art after having sold at a Heffel auction here in Toronto for more than $7.4-million.
It’s described as an extraordinary canvas by the Quebec-born and internationally collected artist who died in 2002. The 1950s canvas saw extensive bidder participation from around the globe, which drove the work to a world auction record for Riopelle at $7,438,750. The painting also became the second most valuable work by a Canadian artist ever sold at auction, demonstrating the growing international interest in Canadian art.
The painting, called Vent du nord, had a conservative pre-sale estimate of $1-million to $1.5 million going into the Heffel Fine Art Auction House’s spring sale.
The final sale price of $7,438,750, which includes a buyer’s premium, trails only Lawren Harris’ Mountain Forms, which sold at a Heffel auction in November for $11.21-million.
To learn about advertising opportunities with Zoomer Radio use the link below: