Exciting Results from Our Fall 2025 Major Art Auctions

Waddington’s is pleased to share several key results from our Fall 2025 Major Auctions, which included Canadian and International Fine Art, Inuit Art, and First Nations Art.

The prominent theme is that collectors responded enthusiastically to works of exceptional quality, in all the auctions. Palmer Jarvis, Senior Specialist in our Inuit, First Nations & Métis Art department, reiterates what we’ve always believed: “exceptional quality or uniqueness continues to drive market value, as does interesting and historically significant provenance.”

Canadian & International Fine Art

Leading the international portion of the auction was Alberto Pasini’s Before the Mosque, which realised a price of $183,750, over three times the high estimate. Goulven Le Morvan, Director of Fine Art, explains that “though the Orientalist market remains unsettled, this painting achieved a very strong result through fierce bidding from international collectors.”

Attracting early bidding was Alexander Calder’s 1965 excellent gouache Red Serpent. Doubling its reserve, the work fetched $147,150. Another international highlight was David Diao’s Boxcar. The artist’s Chinese-American heritage attracted bidders from both Asian and American markets, vying to own an exceptional work. Boxcar ultimately sold for $98,350, nearly triple the high estimate.

Canadian art highlights included works both classic and contemporary. Waddington’s continues to lead the market for works by John Graham Coughtry. Two Figures, From Series II, 1962, coming from a private Toronto collection, achieved a very strong result. After a heated bidding war, the painting sold for $39,790, more than three times the high estimate.

Walter Joseph Phillips’ River Crossing, ca. 1940 exceeded expectations, selling for $61,750, three times the high estimate. Le Morvan noted that “the market for Phillips’ watercolours remains strong, and we enjoyed watching a great bidding war between Canadian clients.”

A similar battle erupted in bidders’ quest to own William Kurelek’s Carpenter’s Dream, 1975. As art historian Andrew Kear explained, “on one level an icon to the craftsmanship Kurelek valued, Carpenter’s Dream, on another, counts among a much smaller body of strange, playful dreamscapes.” Collectors knew the work was something special, bidding it up to $30,000.

Louis-Phillipe Hébert’s Algonquins came to Waddington’s from the Quebec collection of Patrick Martin Wickham, and will return to la belle province, landing in another prominent private collection after selling for $80,050. Interest in the Group of Seven remains consistent, with A.Y. Jackson’s Split Rock Island selling for $20,000, and Lawren Harris’ Toronto scene, Houses in Winter, selling for $115,003.

Inuit Art

Drum Dance, 1989 by Davie Atchealak ᑎᕕ ᐊᓯᐊᓪ set a record result for the artist, selling for $73,950. The sculpture, among his most ambitious works, showcased Atchealak’s exceptionally detailed style and expert use of cantilever, and came with an interesting backstory, as well as excellent provenance from the S. Family Collection. Another record was set for sculpture by Kenojuak Ashevak with Owl with Young, ca. 1975, which fetched $67,850, almost ten times its high estimate. Also from the S. Family Collection, Parr’s Untitled (Hunters and Animals) drawing, sold for $10,000. One of three drawings by the artist in this auction, they all performed well, selling for a combined total of $24,625, a strong showing.

One of the great themes of this auction was the power of great collections. Alongside the S. Family was the collection of Ken Mantel, an important figure in the history of Inuit art. The standout was Baffin Island Woman by Josephie Pootoogook ᔭᓴᐱ ᑭᑐᒍ, which achieved a price realised of $11,250. The third major collection in this auction belonged to David Sutherland, a former Northwest Territories Arts and Crafts Development Officer and an artist in his own right. An avid collector, Sutherland purchased works primarily from the Miqsuvik Sewing Shop, and other craft stores in the communities in which he served. From the Miqsuvik Sewing Shop came Untitled (Spirits and Animals) by Elizabeth Quinanagnaq Angrnagangrniq ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᑯᐃᓇᓇ ᐊᓇᒐᓂ, which doubled its high estimate to sell for $8,125.

Other runaway successes came in the form of Qimaajuq Ukali (Running Rabbit), 2016, by Tim Pitsiulak ᑎᒻ ᐱᓯᐃᓚ, which caused a bidding war early in the auction, ultimately selling for $7,500, and an owl by Tudlik ᑐᓕ, created ca. 1957, which sold for $11,875

First Nations

Jarvis notes that “artwork by influential First Nations artists continues to be a thriving market. Artists like Alex Janvier and Beau Dick whose legacies combine aesthetic originality with social engagement and activism are particularly compelling across collector demographics.” Both artists achieved exceptional results with works both coincidentally made in 1991. Janvier’s Willow Point, which dates to an exceptionally strong period in his career, is notable among the artist’s work for its particularly sparing use of colour against the unprimed linen ground. The work sold for $54,430, doubling the high estimate. Dick’s Book-Woos (Bukwus) Mask depicts the ghost-like Bukwus spirit, a dangerous supernatural being regarded by the Kwakwaka’wakw and neighboring peoples as a ghostly figure who dwells in the forest amidst the souls of the drowned. The work sold for $21,250.

We also invite you to explore the full list of prices realised, noting that all figures include Buyer’s Premium and are in CAD.

Consignment Opportunities

The consignment process for our 2026 auctions is already underway and we look forward to discussing how we can achieve excellent results for your artworks.

Please contact us for more information on consigning with Waddington’s.