Pablo Picasso was quite good at painting things

Yesterday in an effort to finally satisfy the battle royale regarding whether or not Pablo Picasso was a rather talented artist the folks at Christies decided to finally put an end to the debate and declare that the Spaniard was, in fact quite good, presumably making him very happy. Or sad. Or at the very least still very deceased and still not as rich as he'd like to be.


You know that moment when your child comes to you and has suddenly decided to dress slightly odd and tells you that he has decided not to follow your advice and take over the family fruit stand business but instead wants to change his name from Fankie Jr to Shiloh and instead become an artist?

That's typically when we spend our nights crying and convulsing and wondering where it is that we went wrong and ultimately end up suing the school system. Maybe it's time to re-think that impulse and prepare for a lifetime of encouraging Frankie...errr....Shiloh...errr....whatever and prepare for a retirement of relaxing baths in liquified rubies and diamond encrusted Pumas for pets.


For those of you who missed the news, Pablo Picasso is officially one very rich Spaniard. Actually, that isn't exactly true....but whoever owns his “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust" painting sure is (or was) and they splashed out a whopping $106 million to prove it.


If you are ever looking to make the Venus De Milo applaud, and high five this is probably a good place to start.

History has a funny way of being fairly relevant. First of all unlike the future, there is always plenty of history. Secondly also unlike the future we can always count on history and thus some of the bits that people left behind whilst making it to continue to become more and more valuable. The other nice thing about history is that we can always just forget about the portions that we no longer care for very much and slightly embarrass us. A bit like The Crusades or Parker Stevensons hair.

You can't however deny and stand in jaw dropping awe of the fact that a mans work netted $106 million to somebody who not only had that kind of change lying around in the cup holder of what must surely be an SUV so vast it Saudi Arabia must sink 3 inches into the ocean every time he fills it with gasoline, but that they are willing to pay it so that they might enjoy his work.

Or did they?

Who would or could buy this piece?

>From The New York Times today;

Though Christie’s did not reveal the painting’s buyer, it was almost certainly an oligarch or hedge fund mogul. The auction house’s chief pointed to “depth of buying from Russia, China and the Middle East.” Christie’s brought in nearly 30 percent more than the bottom of its expectations from the New York sale of 56 artworks.

Moreover, the gaggle of emerging market heavyweights like Roman Abramovich of Russia were said to be bidding against some of the hedge fund world’s most prolific collectors, including Citadel Investment founder Ken Griffin and the Connecticut billionaire trader Steven Cohen.

Admittedly it's slightly sad to think that is piece of artwork is an investment, and won't be hanging on any bathroom walls for the owner to enjoy it any time soon. It's now just another holding, not unlike the Beatles back catalogue or The Elephant Man.


Who knows what dear old Pablo would think about all of this but hopefully he's at least having a good laugh and toasting the good life somewhere. Meanwhile, here on earth maybe it's time we go buy Frankie Jr...err....Shiloh.....errr.....oh...never mind some new crayons and a chunk of old cardboard to scribble on.

Shiloh or whatever it is you're calling yourself these days.....get on with it......Mamma needs a new Gulfstream jet...."

Canadian Art Find

This week we are starting work on a lovely estate located in a penthouse just north of the city. The couple, originally from Forest Hill, moved up to this enclave favoured by well heeled retiring seniors about 20 years ago.

Several years ago the father sadly passed away and his wife has now moved into an assisted living situation with the help of her children. With the condo sold, they are faced with selling unwanted and unneeded items; that's where we come in.

On the living room wall, visible when you first walk in, is a large oil by Canadian painter Harold Town. Dated 1959, it is a good period for Town, one hotly sought after by collector's. It has never been a favourite of the children, and understandably so, it has frenetic, almost angry brushwork in varying shades of red, making for a somewhat gruesome tableau. (The Harold Town pictured, while similar, is not the painting we are referring to).

However, it IS a very important piece of artwork and one that the family has decided to sell.

It's interesting when it comes to a piece like this, Harold Town is an important artist, a founding member of the Painters Eleven and his work always does well, particularly an original oil of this size from the this period. And while antiques may come and go in and out of fashion, and even stocks and bonds will rise and fall, art, GOOD art, almost always seems to go up in price. This makes it a pleasure to sell, there are interested and eager buyers. Imagine that, a rare occurrence in today’s antique marketplace!

Sadly, Canadiana Is Not Fashionable

I am currently working with a client who is in her early 60s and downsizing from a large Rosedale home. She and her husband, like many people collecting and furnishing their homes in the early 1970s, really liked Canadian antique pine furniture or Canadiana.

I'm afraid that today, this area is another casualty of the waning desire for antiques by the new buyers that are coming into the market. Young people and the current market don't really favour that primitive rustic look, and with the number of baby boomers that did favour it and are now trying to downsize, it's a really lop sided supply and demand issue.

My first question is always 'Do you have any painted pieces?', which is partly because I love early painted furniture and because it is so rare, as many were stripped down to suit the majority of consumer's tastes. And what's interesting is that stripped pieces are still most saleable, but probably not worth as much as their counterparts still bearing some or all of an original finish.

So yes, there is always going to be demand for large cupboards, painted pieces and the really unusual but as for the millions of wash stands, dressers and chairs out there, they better be something really special if you have hopes of realizing anything near what you paid for them - 30+ years ago.

Check us out!

Ok, well I've been away a while, but I'm back!

First post in a while, but it's great news. On Saturday, an article on EstateNet appeared on the cover of the Homes section of the National Post.

Very interesting project, I hope you'll read it (follow the link by clicking on the photo).

Website Update

Well, after almost 5 years (can't believe it has been that long) I have updated the website. Not much but added a 'Canadian Art' page and added a link to this blog on the 'News & Views' page.

All this is part of my new effort to re-energize my business and marketing approach.

It's a scary world out there with Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, blogging and well, the list goes on! Not sure where it's all heading but it's kinda fun to discover these new mediums, they keep me feeling current and energized about my business and life in general in some strange way.

I always find it a little ironic too, dealing with 'old things' and using such new technology to help me.

Canadian Studio Pottery

Canadian studio pottery is a mystery to many in our industry, and this is why I think it’s a great area to start collecting.

The Canadian craft scene has always been very active, and this certainly holds true for the studio potters.

There seemed to be a real surge of it during the late 1960s-70s, at least from my perspective. I can remember my Aunt Jane using hand thrown bowls made from beige clay very typical of Ontario and Quebec pottery from that period, for her salads and desserts. And as we comb through estates we see lots of it, vases, dishes, bowls and even figures, much from the same period. I think in some ways it came about as a result of the whole ‘hippy’ or earthy movement, people wanting a lifestyle that looked towards simpler wholesome living, making our own breads and almost going back to basics. This was perhaps an effort to distance themselves from the June Cleavers of the 1950s-60s who loved entertaining in high style with fancy dishes filled with bridge sandwiches made from Klik ham.

Anyways, as a result we find all kinds of studio pottery around today, and most of it remains a mystery. There are all kinds of wonderful shapes and designs that only bear a cryptic cipher or a scribble across the bottom. And with no definitive book out there deciphering these mystery marks we are left guessing many times as to who these artists and potters were.

Additionally I think that the pottery of this period has yet to come into its own. It has not become fully appreciated by enough collectors yet, and while there has always been a devoted audience for it, I think it has the potential to really gain momentum in the collecting field.

So get to know some of the BIG names in Canadian pottery, Deichmann, Harlander, Lorenzens, Jean Cartier, but don’t forget the lesser known guys like Jarko Zavi, L&M Designs and The Five Potters. Become familiar with the signatures, look for their designs and always keep an eye out for good form and decoration. These are some of the collectibles of tomorrow.

The Victorian Couch

There are a few things we get calls about that make us cringe. Cringe because we unfortunately know that there is next to no market for. One of those 'albatrosses' is the antique / Victorian / camel back sofa.

The fact is that they are usually too low for modern seating arrangements, need costly re-upholstering and repair and are rarely comfortable. Newly reupholstered antique pieces don't cut it either, they generally won't be right for their new buyer and then there's the hygiene issue of using 'another person's sofa'.

The reality is that you can buy a new sofa in a store like the Art Shoppe or even IKEA in your own choice of fabric and shape and have it delivered to your door in 6-8 weeks, avoiding all the problems of an antique piece of seating.

So, unless you're sitting on a really, really special antique couch, chances are it's not worth much if anything at all.