Emily Coonan
Emily Coonan
1885 - 1971
BHG
Emily Coonan was born in 1885 in the Point St. Charles neighborhood of Montreal. She studied first at the Conseil des arts et manufactures, and later at the Art Association of Montreal art classes, from 1905 to 1912, where prominent teacher William Brymner was an early mentor.

From 1912 to 1913, Coonan traveled to France with fellow artist Mabel May, as well as Holland and Belgium. She was inspired by the French Impressionists, and particularly admired the work of Canadian Impressionist James Wilson Morrice. Her subjects included figurative work drawn from her immediate family and friends, both intimate interiors and outdoor settings, as well asenes. Later, landscape would be her primary focus.

In 1914 Coonan was the first recipient of the National Gallery of Canada Travelling Scholarship. However, due to World War I she delayed her trip until 1921, when she painted for a year in Florence, Venice, Paris and London. In 1916 she won the Special Prize from the Women's Art Society of Montreal. By the 1920s, Coonan was showing Modernist influences, and her work was chosen for exhibition in the British Empire Exhibit in Wembley in 1924.

Coonan was one of members of Montreal's Beaver Hall Group, and kept a studio at 305 Beaver Hall Hill from 1922 to 1924. She did not keep up her ties with the women members after the dissolution of the group as the others did. Between 1908 and 1924, she often showed at the Art Association of Montreal and Royal Canadian Academy annual exhibitions, but her exhibiting career ended with her last appearance at an Art Association of Montreal in 1933. She was a very private person, and stayed close to her family. For the next 30 years, she continued to paint, mostly landscapes, and regularly took sketching trips to the Lower St. Lawrence countryside with her family. She died in 1971 in Montreal. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in her work and that of the other women members of the Beaver Hall Group due to their unique contribution to modernism in Canadian art.
HOW TO SELL
AVAILABLE WORKS
HEFFEL’S TOP RESULTS
The Confirmation by Emily Coonan sold for $141,600
Emily Coonan
The Confirmation
22 x 27 1/8 in, 55.9 x 68.9 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $15,000 - $20,000 CDN
Sold for: $141,600 CDN (premium included)
November 2016 - 6th Session on Saturday, November 26, 2016
Still Life by Emily Coonan sold for $52,650
Emily Coonan
Still Life
10 x 14 in, 25.4 x 35.6 cm
oil on canvas board
Estimate: $15,000 - $20,000 CDN
Sold for: $52,650 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2010 - 2nd Session on Thursday, November 25, 2010
Evelina by Emily Coonan sold for $46,800
Emily Coonan
Evelina
26 1/4 x 18 1/4 in, 66.7 x 46.3 cm
circa 1910
oil on canvas
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CDN
Sold for: $46,800 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2008 - 2nd Session on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Landscape with House by Emily Coonan sold for $16,380
Emily Coonan
Landscape with House
9 1/4 x 12 in, 23.5 x 30.5 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $15,000 - $20,000 CDN
Sold for: $16,380 CDN (premium included)
Spring 2012 - 2nd Session on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Still Life by Emily Coonan sold for $12,870
Emily Coonan
Still Life
23 1/2 x 19 1/2 in, 59.7 x 49.5 cm
oil on canvas on board
Estimate: $12,000 - $16,000 CDN
Sold for: $12,870 CDN (premium included)
February 2013 - 3rd Session on Thursday, February 28, 2013
Portrait of a Young Woman by Emily Coonan sold for $11,500
Emily Coonan
Portrait of a Young Woman
14 x 12 in, 35.6 x 30.5 cm
circa 1910
oil on canvas
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000 CDN
Sold for: $11,500 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Spring 2006 on Thursday, May 25, 2006
Quebec Landscape by Emily Coonan sold for $10,030
Emily Coonan
Quebec Landscape
20 x 24 in, 50.8 x 61 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $7,000 - $9,000 CDN
Sold for: $10,030 CDN (premium included)
May 2014 - 4th Session on Saturday, May 31, 2014
Deserted Garage by Emily Coonan sold for $5,900
Emily Coonan
Deserted Garage
12 x 15 1/2 in, 30.5 x 39.4 cm
oil on canvas on board
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000 CDN
Sold for: $5,900 CDN (premium included)
May 2014 - 4th Session on Saturday, May 31, 2014