Blog

Independent scholar Lucie Dorais, M.A. reflects on the pochade Study for "Effet de neige, Montréal", 1906 by James Wilson Morrice, which was offered for sale by Alan Klinkhoff Gallery. 

Study for "Effet de neige, Montréal",  1906 is a rare Montreal painting by J.W. Morrice, and the source for Power Corporation’s celebrated Salon canvas.  Read about this outstanding painting by one of Canada’s greatest artists. 

Alan Klinkhoff on the most important Edwin Holgate canvas that one will ever have the opportunity to purchase.  Indian Grave Houses, 1926, is one of only two known major canvases of the Skeena River painted by Holgate after his legendary trip to the area with A.Y. Jackson and Marius Barbeau.  The other canvas has been in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada since 1939, making this an extraordinary opportunity to own this extensively celerated masterpiece, the only known work of its type that is still owned privately.  Alan also reflects on his memories of Edwin Holgate. 

Indian Grave Houses, prompts many memories of the man Edwin Holgate and encourages study to appreciate its importance in the annals of Canadian art history, especially linking the Group of Seven, Canadian art of western Canada and of course the “discovery” of Emily Carr and her subsequent return to painting after a hiatus of a dozen years. 

As fine as are Holgate’s best nudes, figures and landscapes which are primarily of Quebec province, in our opinion the most historically important Edwin Holgate paintings are Indian Grave Houses and Totem Poles, Gitsegukla, the latter in Canada’s National Gallery (NGC, 4426). The two have been exhibited side by side on a few occasions, most recently in The Beaver Hall Group: 1920s Modernism in Montreal. 

Indian Grave Houses was sold in an exhibition, Edwin Holgate, Twenty-Five Years of Painting at Dominion Gallery in Montreal in the fall of 1946 and has remained, until now, in the family of the buyer of this period.

A read of the documentation prepared for us by Dr. Brian Foss will, we believe, lead others to our conclusion that  Indian Grave Houses is the finest and most important Edwin Holgate composition one will ever have the opportunity to purchase.

The exquisite Suzor-Coté, Lilas Canadien, painted shortly before Suzor returned to pursue his studies in Paris, demonstrates the aesthetic effect of technique the artist learned from one of his masters in Paris, the important Barbizon painter Henri Harpignies.

James Wilson Morrice, R.C.A. 1865-1924 Winter Street Scene, Montreal, c. 1909 Oil on wood panel, 4 7/8 x 6 in ( 12.4 x 15.2 cm) Unsigned, Studio stamp on the back; Verso inscr. in pencil:“asterisk/062708' (inverted), “E”, big asterisk in a circle Provenance William Scott & Sons, Montréal, from the artist’s studio. Frederick William Hutchison, Montréal; Private collection, Montréal, by descent. THIS PAINTING IS SOLD. Some Morrice sketches, or pochades, are easily identified and/or dated, thanks to a drawing in one of his sketchbooks, or the date the related canvas was exhibited. But this panel is not related to anything else; its location (city and street) is not obvious, and its dating even less. It depicts twin low houses, probably built in wood (no firewalls) in the traditional style we associate mostly with Quebec province. It is the end of the day, and the brightly lit interiors reveal their transformation into commercial premises; a higher building, with a bigger window,...

Jonathan Klinkhoff reflects on the diversity of Fritz Brandtner's art on the artist's concern for social issues in the 1930s.

 A look at a carved and painted linoleum panel by Fritz Brandtner and how this support served to complement the artist’s abstract and Cubist aesthetic as well as his interest in depicting modern industry.  Introductory text by Jonathan Klinkhoff.

“I believe the export controls continue to do much disservice to the interest they were designed to protect." (Walter Klinkhoff, Reminiscences of an Art Dealer, 1994, p. 26). 

 

Having been a major and distinguished participant in the art dealing trade in Canada for more than four decades, in 1994 my father Walter Klinkhoff wrote the above about the unintended consequences of Bill C-33, The Cultural Properties Act.

 

Tuesday, June 12,  the Federal Court issued its ruling in favour of Heffel Auction House in their appeal against a decision by the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board (CCPERB) to bar the export of a Gustave Caillebotte. The Honourable Mr. Justice Manson’s judgement in Heffel Gallery v. the Attorney General, Canada breathes fresh air into what, in our opinion, has always been a disservice to Canadians and has become increasingly so over the decades since Dad penned those astute remarks. 

Available for sale: Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Lafresnière, First Snow, c. 1923-1930, oil on canvas, 39 x 48 in.

 

First Snow, Lafresnière beautifully illustrates that brief time of year when the leaves are still a wonderful array of reds and oranges and yet, a soft, glistening layer of the first snow lightly covers the ground and rooftops. This brief moment of transition between the fall and the winter is perhaps the best subject matter for Fortin, a virtuosic colourist, as it implored him to broaden his palette and marry the reds of the fall with the blues of the winter. 

Tom Forrestall while in Toronto to attend his important exhibition at Mira Godard Gallery, stopped by Alan Klinkhoff Gallery 

 

In a society ravaged by the Great Depression and war, Fritz Brandtner sought to address contemporary social issues like poverty and health care in this important cubist-inspired composition.

Alan Klinkhoff Gallery is pleased to share with fellow art enthusiasts our research into a particularly fine Edwin Holgate painting and accompanying drawing, which we offered for sale. 

The Dufferin Terrace in Quebec City is a well known tourist attraction. Named after Lord Dufferin who was Governor of Canada from 1872 to 1878 it was built in 1838. From there, people have a breathtaking view of the Saint-Lawrence River, of the Île d’Orléans, and of the Traverse Québec-Lévis. The Château Frontenac is adjacent to it.

Reflecting on this past year at Alan Klinkhoff Gallery and Klinkhoff.ca, there are, for us, obvious highlights. One was the outstanding collection of Lawren Harris paintings we successfully offered for sale on behalf of an important private collector. We cannot over emphasise our gratitude to the owners of this extraordinary Harris collection, the family which allowed us to present for sale such fine examples of Canadian art. We were proud to show them in our Montreal and Toronto galleries as well as on Klinkhoff.ca, a platform in which we have invested heavily in both financial and human resources to offer a stimulating and informative visit.

2. The First Snowfall

Willam behaved like children all over the world at the first snowfall.

He became giddy with excitement and held his mouth open to catch the first big, juicy flakes, slowly spiraling downward.

 

"Not surprisingly, her [Laura Muntz Lyall] paintings were consistently in demand by patrons in Canada, and, despite the number of talented artists who then portrayed women and children, she was considered the most important painter of children at the time" 

— Joan Murray

An extraordinary early and Group period work by Arthur Lismer that depicts the Bon Echo Rock on Mazinaw Lake.  In size and immediacy, the quickly executed sketch entitled, Bon Echo, c. 1921-22, is a descriptive and emotional testament to the grandeur and natural beauty of the Bon Echo Rock.

This exhibition will be the first authorized tribute to Little's career, and the opening in Toronto will mark the first time an important presentation of his work will be seen in that city. Although he has always preferred to remain out of the limelight, we are grateful for his encouragement and support behind the scenes. In a letter titled "ENDORSEMENT", he wrote in what is his characteristically modest fashion:

Alan Klinkhoff Gallery is proud to introduce a new version of our industry-leading website Klinkhoff.ca. This state of the art web platform was developed to provide our growing online audience with a more convenient buying experience while also allowing us to better share our family's 70-year tradition of expertise in Canadian art.