Tag Archives: Jacques Hurtubise

Canadian Art Auction at Iegor – Hôtel des Encans

Howdy!

On Tuesday I went to the auction of (mostly) Canadian Art at Iegor – Hôtel des Encans. It was vaguely frustrating as less than 50% of the lots offered up for sale sold. I don’t know if that was due to reserves being placed to high, or lack of interest, or if it was more indicative of lower quality work, or something else entirely.

The scene before the auction at Iegor De Saint Hippolyte's place.
The scene before the auction at Iegor De Saint Hippolyte’s place.

I was interested in it because of a bunch of items, specifically two Marcel Barbeau paintings, prints by a Johanne Corno, Alfred Pellan and Jacques Hurtubise, a Zilon painting and a Robert Roussil sculpture. Along the way there was also Vladimir Lebedev print, some Frère Jérôme stuff and three Fernand Toupins that looked kind of funky. Overall Iegor – Hôtel des Encans grossed almost $250,000. (Please take care when quoting my figures, taking notes at an Iegor auction is not an easy thing, there are numerous question marks in my notes and while I would feel comfortable using them as a rough guide, I would not trust them to be the definitive word – there is a reason why M. De Saint Hippolyte is extremely secretive).

The blockbuster, if you can call it that, was a pair of Cloisonné Qilin (Cloisonnéd Qilins?) that went for $30,353.40 with the 20% buyer’s premium and taxes included (all prices quoted here have the 20% buyer’s premium and taxes included). It seems to me that while M. De Saint Hippolyte initially made his name selling Quebecois art, he is more and more moving into the more generalized practice that really doesn’t differentiate objects that cost a chunk of change and takes advantage of the fact that most potential buyers will be first time, only time buyers from him. Emphasizing that while they know the objects in question (such as the Cloisonné Qilin in question) and therefore unlikely to overpay, there are a bunch of practices that M. De Saint Hippolyte can employ to obtain fair market value.

Iegor - Hôtel des Encans, Lot #11, June 19, 2012 Pair of Qilin Cloisonné
Iegor – Hôtel des Encans, Lot #11, June 19, 2012 Pair of Qilin Cloisonné

I’m always a large believer in taking full advantage of arbitrage, buying winter coats and boots in the middle of the summer, buying baseball cards of Tampa Bay Rays’ players in Seattle, playing Beach Boys songs in December, etc. In short going against the grain. Shorter still: Contrarian.

So you’d figure that after this much time M. De Saint Hippolyte would have figured out how to maximize sales of and on Quebecois artists. That he would have fostered and promoted collectors of Quebecois art. But as far as I can tell paintings by Stanley Cosgrove, Goodrich Roberts and others of their ilk are still selling for about $5,000, like they were a decade and a half ago. a rising tide is supposed to lift all boats, but if the tide never comes then everything just remains beached. And from where I am sitting Quebecois art has been beached and left out to rot for the longest time. If a new painting by Zilon will cost something like five figure but you can pick up an older pre-loved one for $1,793.61 like someone did on Tuesday, why in anyone’s name would you buy new?

That all being said, I will repeat myself again and say that there is sole pretty gosh darn phenomenal art being made here right now (and in the past as well) but the people whose job and responsibility it is (like M. De Saint Hippolyte, Nathalie Bondil, Simon Blais, and others) to make the rest of the world aware of how amazing, kick-ass and wonderful the art made here is are dropping the ball and screwing around big time.

The Marcel Barbeau paintings at Iegor - Hôtel des Encans June 19, 2012. Neither one sold.
The Marcel Barbeau paintings at Iegor – Hôtel des Encans June 19, 2012. Neither one sold.
Johanne Corno, Breast and Blue at Iegor - Hôtel des Encans, June 19, 2012. Did not sell
Johanne Corno, Breast and Blue at Iegor – Hôtel des Encans, June 19, 2012. Did not sell
Jacques Hurtubise, Citrique at Iegor - Hôtel des Encans June 19, 2012. Sold for $1,655.64
Jacques Hurtubise, Citrique at Iegor – Hôtel des Encans June 19, 2012. Sold for $1,655.64
Alfred Pellan prints at Iegor - Hôtel des Encans, June 19, 2012
Alfred Pellan prints at Iegor – Hôtel des Encans, June 19, 2012

Pop Shop, the one on top sold for $1,103.76.l Au bord de la mer (on the bottom) did not sell.

Robert Roussil sculpture The tree of life from the Iegor - Hôtel des Encans auction June 19, 2012. Sold for $12,417.30.
Robert Roussil sculpture The tree of life from the Iegor – Hôtel des Encans auction June 19, 2012. Sold for $12,417.30.
Zilon, Se dire adieu at the Iegor - Hôtel des Encans auction June 19, 2012. Sold for $1,793.61
Zilon, Se dire adieu at the Iegor – Hôtel des Encans auction June 19, 2012. Sold for $1,793.61
Zilon, Se dire adieu at Iegor - Hôtel des Encans (detail)
Zilon, Se dire adieu at Iegor – Hôtel des Encans (detail)

And then finally, if you’d like my spreadsheet of prices from the auction, download this.

Canadian Art Auction at Iegor – Hôtel des Encans

Howdy!

Last week I went to Iegor – Hôtel des Encans to watch their auction of Canadian art (the first part at least). In total they were offering 350 lots. I stayed for about 170 or so, stopped taking notes at lot 149. It’s kind of difficult, keeping track of opening prices, closing prices, what sells, what doesn’t sell, and videotaping all at the same time… Next time I want to go with an assistant!

By my count (please take with a large grain of salt) 64 of the approximately 140 lots sold, or almost 46%. I have no idea if that is a good percentage or a bad percentage, although I’m, leaning towards a bad percentage. I’m going to have to track other auctions and other auction houses to see how this one compares.

Using my same rough calculation I would estimate the Canadian art section of the sale grossed about $230,000 – that’s including the 20% buyers premium and all taxes. (All prices noted here include the 20% buyers premium and all local sales taxes.)

The highlights being Tarozita by Jacques Hurtubise

Tarozita By Jacques Hurtubise. Oil on Canvas, 1977 64" x 80"
Tarozita By Jacques Hurtubise. Oil on Canvas, 1977 64" x 80"

Tarozita By Jacques Hurtubise. Oil on Canvas, 1977 64" x 80"
Tarozita By Jacques Hurtubise. Oil on Canvas, 1977 64" x 80"
Tarozita By Jacques Hurtubise. Oil on Canvas, 1977 64" x 80"
Tarozita By Jacques Hurtubise. Oil on Canvas, 1977 64" x 80"
Detail of Tarozita By Jacques Hurtubise. Oil on Canvas, 1977 64" x 80"
Detail of Tarozita By Jacques Hurtubise. Oil on Canvas, 1977 64" x 80"
Detail of Tarozita By Jacques Hurtubise. Oil on Canvas, 1977 64" x 80"
Detail of Tarozita By Jacques Hurtubise. Oil on Canvas, 1977 64" x 80"

Which sold for $33,493.95.

An ink and watercolor composition by Jean-Paul Riopelle from 1961.

Composition by Jean Paul Riopelle. Ink and watercolor on paper, 1961. 20" x 26"
Composition by Jean Paul Riopelle. Ink and watercolor on paper, 1961. 20" x 26"

Which sold for $24,607.80.

And a oil on masonite painting by Albert Dumouchel from the early 1960s called L’Alcazar which sold for $14,012.78.

Unfortunately Il a neigé sur Opinaca by Jean Paul Riopelle did not meet the reserve and did not sell.

Il a neigé sur Opinaca by Jean Paul Riopelle. Oil on canvas, 1967 36" x 26"
Il a neigé sur Opinaca by Jean Paul Riopelle. Oil on canvas, 1967 36" x 26"
The altar with all the expensive pieces
The altar with all the expensive pieces

Oh, yeah. There was also this pair of lamps described as a “rare pair of Moor floor lamps. Glass and gilt metal chandeliers on glazed porcelain Moor busts on enameled metal pedestal. Milano, Italy circa 1960.” And apparently they were made by Piero Fornasetti.

A "rare pair of Moor floor lamps. Glass and gilt metal chandeliers on glazed porcelain Moor busts on enameled metal pedestal. Milano, Italy circa 1960." Made by Piero Fornasetti.
A "rare pair of Moor floor lamps. Glass and gilt metal chandeliers on glazed porcelain Moor busts on enameled metal pedestal. Milano, Italy circa 1960." Made by Piero Fornasetti.
A "rare pair of Moor floor lamps. Glass and gilt metal chandeliers on glazed porcelain Moor busts on enameled metal pedestal. Milano, Italy circa 1960." Made by Piero Fornasetti.
A "rare pair of Moor floor lamps. Glass and gilt metal chandeliers on glazed porcelain Moor busts on enameled metal pedestal. Milano, Italy circa 1960." Made by Piero Fornasetti.