Famed artist Emily Carr’s lost painting purchased for $50 now expected to sell for a fortune
A chance discovery of a lost Emily Carr painting has turned a $50 purchase into a potential fortune.
A few months ago, New York art dealer Allen Treibitz attended a barn auction in the Hamptons, where a particular painting immediately caught his attention. The artwork, featuring a carved grizzly bear atop a memorial totem pole, bore the signature of iconic Canadian painter Emily Carr.
Although the dealer had been a seasoned art expert for forty years, he was unaware of Carr’s legacy. However, he thought the painting was something ‘extraordinary’.
“It stood out from everything else in that shed,” the 61-year-old dealer said CTV News.
Treibitz bought the painting for $50, and after doing some initial research, he realized it could be much more valuable than he initially thought. When he contacted Canada’s Heffel Fine Art Auction House, his suspicions were confirmed.
“We received photos and I had no doubt that this was an exciting discovery of Cinderella,” David Heffel, chairman of the auction house, said in an interview.
New York-based art dealer Allen Treibitz came across a painting depicting a carved grizzly bear atop a memorial totem pole, bearing the signature of famed Canadian artist Emily Carr
Carr painted the artwork, titled Masset, QCI in 1912, in an effort to document the artistic heritage of British Columbia’s First Nations communities
Carr painted the artwork, titled Masset, QCI in 1912, in an effort to document the artistic heritage of British Columbia’s First Nations communities. It shows a memorial post in Masset, a village in the Haida Gwaii archipelago.
It is believed that the painting was gifted by Carr to a friend in the 1930s and has remained in the Hamptons ever since.
“I see a lot of interesting things (but) this one is… the most important thing I’ve ever found,” Treibitz said. “The fact that it was found and that it is back in its home place is very important.”
Carr incorporated techniques and styles she learned while studying art in Paris from 1910 to 1911 into the painting, including working with vibrant watercolors, said former University of Guelph art history professor Gerta Moray.
Moray, author of a book on First Nations imagery in Carr’s work, said the painting’s style was considered a setback for the artist at the time.
Carr was born in Victoria in 1871 and was closely associated with the famous Group of Seven, which also included Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris and AY Jackson.
“Unfortunately, because of its modern Parisian post-impressionist style, it was not well received locally,” Moray said. ‘She could not find a use for it at the time, either at the provincial museum or in obtaining a number of government purchases.’
Heffel mentioned that the painting was found in its original frame and stretcher and had not been altered since it hung in the barn.
“It needed a good cleaning and sprucing up,” he said.
Treibitz paid just $50 for Carr’s painting, which is expected to sell at auction in November for more than $200,000 (photo: Emily Carr)
Carr later repainted the same memorial pole in 1937, but from a different perspective.
The 1912 painting will be auctioned in Toronto on November 20, with an estimate of $100,000 to $200,000. Before the auction, it will be on display at Heffel galleries in several cities.
Treibitz said he hopes the painting will find a new home with a dedicated Carr collector or a museum.