John Mackie
Postmedia News
The Heffel art auction sells paintings consigned from all over Canada, the U.S. and even Europe.
Still, they didn鈥檛 expect a previously unknown Tom Thomson painting to turn up in Vernon.
Marit Mayne contacted the Vancouver gallery last August about the small, vibrant painting, which she had received as a 70th birthday gift from her longtime friend from nursing school, Glenna Gardiner.
鈥淎s a gag,鈥� laughs Glenna, 71.
Glenna had inherited the painting from her father Jack, a United Church minister who was a bit of a joker.
鈥淒ad always said it was a Tom Thomson, but I never really believed him, because he was prone to tell stories, just to tell a good story,鈥� she said.
She initially hung it up in her home in Edmonton, but as time passed 鈥渢here didn鈥檛 seem to be a place for it, so it got stuck with a whole bunch of other paintings in a pile on a table.鈥�
Marit came out for a visit and they decided to sort through Glenna鈥檚 pile of paintings. And she instantly knew it was special.
鈥淚 said to Glenna it looked like it might be a good painting and she should have it valued or appraised,鈥� said Marit.
鈥淎nd on my 70th birthday, she mailed it to me. Actually, she mailed it to my daughter, and my daughter brought it to my birthday party.鈥�
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 the regular mail, I did send it UPS,鈥� added Glenna.
鈥淚 really laughed about it,鈥� said Marit, who鈥檚 now 71. 鈥淪he said (in the note) if it鈥檚 worth something we鈥檒l go on a trip. But otherwise it鈥檚 yours, you鈥檙e the only one that has any interest in it.鈥�
A year later an artist friend from Norway visited Marit and encouraged her to get the painting appraised. So she phoned the Heffel Gallery, which is Canada鈥檚 premier art auctioneer.
鈥淚 talked to somebody and they said send a photo, we get people who say they have Tom Thomsons all the time,鈥� said Marit. 鈥淭hey phoned me back within two hours: 鈥業t looks like it has promise.鈥欌��
Heffel鈥檚 Lauren Kratzer picks up the story.
鈥淲hen she sent the images we thought 鈥極h wow, this looks pretty darn good,鈥欌�� said Kratzer.
鈥淭he next thing we did was look at the online catalogue raisonee (listing all Thomson paintings) that Joan Murray put together. We weren鈥檛 able to find this painting, but we did find a major canvas in the National Gallery of Canada of this exact same subject matter. So that sent alarm bells ringing.鈥�
Marit brought the painting to Vancouver and Robert Heffel carefully removed a label that was attached to the back. Underneath was an inscription, 鈥淧ainted by Tom Thomson, 1912 or 13. Given to T.M. 1915. Thoreau MacDonald.鈥�
鈥淗e looked like Christmas had come,鈥� said Marit. 鈥淭here was really a sparkle in his eye when he saw that.鈥�
鈥淲e looked at the front and said 鈥榃ow, this is very good,鈥欌�� said Heffel. 鈥淏ut then we saw the back and it had the history and the provenance.鈥�
And what provenance there was. Thoreau MacDonald was the son of painter J.E.H. MacDonald, one of the Group of Seven. Thomson painted Thoreau鈥檚 portrait in 1914.
For further authentication, the painting was sent to Charles Hill, the former curator of Canadian art at the National Gallery of Canada.
鈥淗is response to us was 鈥榗ongratulations,鈥欌�� said Heffel.
Hill was able to shed some further light on the provenance. The painting is signed on the back 鈥淭o Jack Gardiner as a meagre token of my great esteem, Emmanuel College, Toronto, March 1937, Jim Lawson.鈥�
Lawson had tried to put together an art gallery for the college, which is part of the University of Toronto.
鈥淏ut it never happened, so he disbanded the paintings,鈥� said Heffel. 鈥淎nd one of the paintings he gave to Jack Gardiner, Glenna鈥檚 dad.鈥�
Marit gave the painting back to Glenna, who has consigned it in the May 30 Heffel auction in Toronto. It will be part of a public preview from Saturday through Tuesday at the Heffel Gallery, 2247 Granville.
The lost Thomson painting is now titled Sketch for Lake in Algonquin Park because the larger canvas it was the study for is called Lake in Algonquin Park.
The pre-auction estimate is $125,000 to $175,000. This isn鈥檛 one of the big-ticket items in the sale 鈥� there is a stunning 1956 abstract by Paul-Emile Borduas, Figures schematiques, that is estimated at $3 million to $5 million. But as far as a story goes, it can鈥檛 be beaten.
Glenna and Marit are coming to Vancouver this weekend for the 50th reunion of their nursing class from Vancouver General Hospital. They plan to visit the painting Monday.
What is Glenna going to do with the money when the painting is sold?
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to go on a cruise of the Mediterranean,鈥� said Glenna.
鈥淢arit鈥檚 husband wanted to come, and we said he could come if he carried our luggage.鈥�
By John Mackie, Postmedia News
