Joyner Canadian Fine Art Auction, 27-28 May 2008

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Joyner Waddington's Spring 2008 Auction of Important Canadian Art
May 27th, 2008
Lot 50a

TOM THOMSON
VIEW FROM A HEIGHT, ALGONQUIN PARK
oil on composite wood-pulp board, with the estate stamp recto and verso, a faint pencil inscription "TT 62" on the reverse
8 1/2 ins x 10 1/2 ins; 21.3 cms x 26.3 cms
Auction Estimate: $800,000—1,200,000
Result: $1,207,500

View From A Height, Algonquin Park, 1916, an 8 x 10 ins oil sketch by Tom Thomson sold for $1,207,500 on Tuesday evening (including buyer's premium). The price was the third highest ever recorded for the iconic painter who died under mysterious circumstances in 1917. Joyner Waddington's was delighted with the result for the "compositional masterpiece". "This incredible work by Thomson was admired by many during our auction previews and certainly deserves the result it achieved this evening, a price that exceeded the high end of our pre-sale auction estimate", commented Rob Cowley, Director of Joyner Waddington's.

The painting was originally acquired by Toronto's historic Laing Galleries directly from Elizabeth Thomson Harkness, Thomson's sister. The sketch was purchased in the late 1930's or early 1940's from Laing by Mrs. Isabelle Dunbar. Mrs. Dunbar purchased the gem for her young nephew, George Garland, who accompanied her on the downtown shopping trip that day and selected the painting himself. The painting remained in the possession of Garland until his death in early April, 2008.

Dr. George Garland was a Professor of Physics at the University of Toronto, where he also carried out research in geophysics, work that earned him the Order of Canada in 1984 for his contributions to the knowledge of the earth's upper crust and mantle and its gravitational fields. Garland had a love of the outdoors and built a log cabin in Algonquin Park in his early 20s. Garland sold the lease on the cabin in 1958, leasing a lot on Smoke Lake, where the family cottage stands to this day. Dr. Garland's strong ties to Algonquin Park will be further witnessed in June, 2008 when the Friends of Algonquin Park will hold a memorial service in his honour (Garland was a long-time active member of the organization).

Joan Murray, Thomson scholar and author of the soon-to-be-released catalogue raisonne of Tom Thomson's work exclaims that, "this compact painting with its strong design and sense of mystery exudes a powerful and compelling visual poetry".

This was the second important Thomson sketch to be offered by Joyner Waddington's in six months. In November, 2007, Joyner Waddington's hammered down Winter Thaw, a postcard-sized oil sketch by Tom Thomson for $1.463 Million. The "tiny gem" set a then-world-record for a work by the artist at auction, generating unbridled excitement in the Canadian Art market and grabbing both Canadian and International headlines.

Joyner Waddington's Canadian Fine Art, a division of Waddington's Auctioneers (Canada's oldest fine art auction house -- founded in 1850) is a leading firm for sales of fine Canadian Art. Over $65 million has been sold by Joyner Waddington's since the merger of Joyner Fine Art and Waddington's Auctioneers in the fall of 2002. Joyner Waddington's is recognized for having achieved remarkable prices for works by Important Canadian Artists, including Tom Thomson and members of the Group of Seven.

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