Henri Matisse, Femme assise sur un balcon (1919)
High hopes for a 1919 oil painting by Henri Matisse in the spring sale at Heffel auction house in Toronto were quickly shattered when the work only drew a smattering of interest Wednesday night and failed to reach the minimum reserve price. The 26- by 20-inch canvas, Femme assise sur un balcon, was the first work by the French painter to be sold at auction in Canada and was estimated to make between C$3.8m and C$5.8m ($2.8m and $4.3m), but bidding stalled soon after opening at C$2.8 ($2m).
The auction houses vice-president Robert Heffel put a positive spin on the disappointing result, telling The Art Newspaper: “We were honoured to offer the Matisse. Not every artwork sells the night of the auction, and were confident that the painting will find its rightful home.”
Otherwise, it was a successful afternoon and evening sale for Heffel, which realised around C$16.5m overall (including buyers premium). A pair of Jean Paul Riopelle canvasses from 1953, Carnaval II and Incandescence, led the way, each knocked down at C$2.2m. Also on offer were three notable works by Group of Read More – Source
[contf]
[contfnew]
the art news paper
[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]
