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LOT 152

ALC CGP G7 OSA RCA
1873 - 1932
Canadian

Elms by a Stream
oil on board, circa 1919
on verso signed, titled and inscribed "60.00" and variously
8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in, 21.6 x 26.7 cm

Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000 CAD

Sold for: $25,000

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
Sold sale of Canadian Art and Fine Jewellery, Sotheby's Canada, May 27, 1985, lot 778
Sold sale of Canadian Art, Joyner Fine Art, November 17, 1995, lot 67
Private Collection, Toronto
Sold sale of Fine Art, Levis Fine Art, November 4, 1997, lot 203
By descent to the present Private Estate, Calgary

LITERATURE
Sandra Martin, “Digging Up J.E.H. MacDonald’s Tangled Garden,” The Globe and Mail, April 21, 2018, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/digging-up-jeh-macdonalds-tangled-garden/article1005233, accessed August 6, 2019


In 1911, J.E.H. MacDonald moved to Thornhill, where he purchased a property with a Victorian-era farmhouse named Four Elms, for the towering trees that surrounded it. Thornhill was a mecca for other artists - members of the Group of Seven and Tom Thomson visited MacDonald there. Former National Gallery of Canada curator of Canadian art Charles C. Hill commented, “Of all the Group, he is the one who is most linked to an earlier rural tradition…The house, the gardens and the fields around formed a part of his home base and had a lot of meaning for him. If you look at the early photographs and those gorgeous elm trees and the gardens and the wooden barn with its stone foundation, it [the place] is almost like a sculpture in itself.” MacDonald’s depiction of these pastoral fields and towering elms is lush and sun-drenched. His brushwork is bold and textural, and his palette glows with tones of green that range from deep olive to bright yellow-green. This vibrant oil sketch radiates peace, and the majesty of the trees with their cascading branches is particularly beautiful.


Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000 CAD

All prices are in Canadian Dollars


Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.