A new world record was set at Sotheby's yesterday, when a Paul-Émile Borduas artwork surpassed the previous mark for the Canadian painter by 68%.
 A characteristic work from Quebec's most beloved artist |
The Toronto sale, which totalled $3.46m, also saw new auction records set for five other top Canadian artists.
The characteristic Borduas work from 1955, entitled Froissement Multicolore, saw the highest bids in the auction, selling for $647,221 against an estimate of $341,264-487,520 - achieving a 38.2% increase on estimate.
The previous Borduas auction record was held by Chant d'été, which was sold in 2011 for $399,037.
Elsewhere in the sale, an exemplary work from Robert Clow Todd more than doubled its pre-sale estimate, with an increase of 119.7%.
The work, depicting skating figures in front of Montmorency Falls, Quebec, went to auction with an estimate of $146,171-194,894 and realised a final price of $428,240. The price represents a new record for the artist at auction.
Record prices were also achieved for Jack Bush, Fritz Brandtner, Barbara Astman and Douglas Coupland.
The Sotheby's auction was one of three major sales marking the start of the Spring auction season in Canada. A May 17 sale in Vancouver saw a Jean Paul Lemieux achieve the second highest price for the artist at auction, while a previously unknown work from Tom Thomson sold for $110,000 on May 16.
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