Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
1881 - 1942
CAC RCA
Clarence Gagnon received his artistic training at the Art Association of Montreal under William Brymner from 1897 to 1900. From the beginning of his studies, Gagnon was drawn towards landscape painting, in particular of the Laurentians and the Charlevoix region of eastern Quebec.

Gagnon’s early paintings of rural Quebec gained the attention of art patron James Morgan. Morgan’s patronage enabled Gagnon to travel to Europe and study in Paris in 1903. While in Paris, Gagnon met follow Canadian painter James Wilson Morrice, and Gagnon quickly adopted Morrice’s method of painting en plein air.

Gagnon returned to Canada in 1908 and settled in the Baie-Saint-Paul region of Charlevoix. His affection for the region is apparent in his depictions of the area.

From 1909 to 1914 Gagnon moved between Canada and Europe, while continuing to work on his paintings of rural Quebec. Unlike his other Canadian art colleagues who traveled abroad for brief periods of study, Gagnon spent almost half of his artistic career working in France.

A turning point in Gagnon’s career came when Parisian art dealer Adrien M. Reitlinger offered him an exhibition in his Montparnasse gallery. Gagnon is one of the few Canadian artists to have held a solo exhibition in Paris prior to World War I. Even more notable is that most of the exhibition consisted of Gagnon’s landscapes of the Laurentians.

Following the 1913 exhibition, Gagnon almost exclusively portrayed the Canadian landscape. He created a new type of winter landscape with juxtapositions of light and shadow, using a fresh colour palette. From 1916 onward his palette consisted of pure white, reds, blues and yellows. In 1936 Gagnon left Paris and returned to Canada for the last time, passing away in 1942 at the age of 61.
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The Trapper's Return by Clarence Alphonse Gagnon sold for $560,500
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
The Trapper's Return
21 x 28 3/4 in, 53.3 x 73 cm
circa 1909
oil on canvas
Estimate: $500,000 - $700,000 CDN
Sold for: $560,500 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2014 - 2nd Session on Thursday, November 27, 2014
Evening Glow, Laurentians (Dernières lueurs) by Clarence Alphonse Gagnon sold for $451,250
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
Evening Glow, Laurentians (Dernières lueurs)
19 3/4 x 25 1/2 in, 50.2 x 64.8 cm
circa 1908
oil on canvas
Estimate: $300,000 - $500,000 CDN
Sold for: $451,250 CDN (premium included)
Canadian, Impressionist & Modern Art on Thursday, November 24, 2022
Campo, Siena by Clarence Alphonse Gagnon sold for $351,000
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
Campo, Siena
29 x 36 in, 73.7 x 91.4 cm
circa 1911
oil on canvas
Estimate: $300,000 - $500,000 CDN
Sold for: $351,000 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2008 - 2nd Session on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Environs de Baie-Saint-Paul by Clarence Alphonse Gagnon sold for $315,900
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
Environs de Baie-Saint-Paul
21 3/8 x 25 3/4 in, 54.3 x 65.4 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $200,000 - $300,000 CDN
Sold for: $315,900 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2011 - 2nd Session on Thursday, November 24, 2011
Twilight in the Laurentians, Winter by Clarence Alphonse Gagnon sold for $287,500
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
Twilight in the Laurentians, Winter
20 1/8 x 26 1/4 in, 51.1 x 66.7 cm
circa 1910
oil on canvas
Estimate: $200,000 - $300,000 CDN
Sold for: $287,500 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Fall 2006 on Friday, November 24, 2006
Late Afternoon Sun (House and Brook) by Clarence Alphonse Gagnon sold for $253,250
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
Late Afternoon Sun (House and Brook)
20 x 26 in, 50.8 x 66 cm
circa 1908
oil on canvas
Estimate: $150,000 - $250,000 CDN
Sold for: $253,250 CDN (premium included)
Canadian, Impressionist & Modern Art on Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Late Afternoon, Venice by Clarence Alphonse Gagnon sold for $205,250
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
Late Afternoon, Venice
6 x 9 1/4 in, 15.2 x 23.5 cm
oil on panel
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CDN
Sold for: $205,250 CDN (premium included)
Canadian, Impressionist & Modern Art on Wednesday, May 30, 2018
The Hills of Baie St. Paul (La vallée solitaire) by Clarence Alphonse Gagnon sold for $193,250
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
The Hills of Baie St. Paul (La vallée solitaire)
19 1/2 x 25 1/2 in, 49.5 x 64.8 cm
1908
oil on canvas
Estimate: $150,000 - $250,000 CDN
Sold for: $193,250 CDN (premium included)
Canadian, Impressionist & Modern Art on Wednesday, July 15, 2020
La plage de Saint-Énogat, Bretagne by Clarence Alphonse Gagnon sold for $169,250
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
La plage de Saint-Énogat, Bretagne
6 1/8 x 9 in, 15.6 x 22.9 cm
1907
oil on panel
Estimate: $70,000 - $90,000 CDN
Sold for: $169,250 CDN (premium included)
Canadian Impressionist & Modern Art on Thursday, May 23, 2024
Paysage de Charlevoix by Clarence Alphonse Gagnon sold for $141,600
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
Paysage de Charlevoix
10 x 12 in, 25.4 x 30.5 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $125,000 - $175,000 CDN
Sold for: $141,600 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2014 - 2nd Session on Thursday, November 27, 2014