A work by Emily Carr, purchased for $50 US at a garage sale, was sold for $349,250 Canadian at the Heffel auction

A work by Canadian artist Emily Carr, which a man bought for $50 US at a yard sale in the Hamptons, sold for $349,250 Canadian Wednesday evening at the Heffel auction in Toronto.

With its final sale price of $349,250, the work, which was valued between $100,000 and $200,000 by Maison Heffel, far exceeded expectations.

Baptized Masset QCIthe small painting by Emily Carr had been discovered by chance by an American named Allen Treibitz who, smelling a good deal, had searched for Emily Carr’s name on the internet before contacting Heffel.

The barn find, which is an extraordinary piece of Canadian art history, captivated the art world before and during the auction. Collectors flocked to Heffel previews across the country to get a glimpse of the painting, which features the bear totem pole in Haida Gwaii, illustrating Carr’s respect for the indigenous cultures and landscapes of Colombia -British.

Record results

Furthermore, this fall sale of the House of Heffel obtained record results with sales exceeding 22 million dollars.

In addition to the painting by Emily Carr, it was the painter Tom Thomson who stole the show with two works exceeding two million each.

The auction highlighted the strength and dynamism of the Canadian art market. Held at the firm’s Toronto salesroom, the event brought together a global audience through its digital venue.