Linda Rodeck talks about change, contrast and juxtaposition

Painting

“Keeping an Eye Open”

We don’t always get a lot of time for quiet contemplation here at Waddington’s. The life of an auctioneer-appraiser is a hectic one and in order to assemble a sale of 182 lots we may have to look at well over 1,000 paintings, sculpture or prints.

Lately, some of us have carved out time to read “Keeping an Eye Open”, Julian Barnes’ collection of essays on art, in anticipation of his visit to Toronto the day after our major spring auction. A passage in the introduction serves to remind us of the benefits of refreshing our art experiences by looking at a lot of different art and not just the things we think we know. Mr. Barnes makes a lot of good observations. He suggests that over time we learn that there are some artists we grow out of, others we grow into; artists to whom we have had a lifelong indifference and others we might suddenly discover after years of unnoticing (his word, and a great one); artists for whom our response was a bit negligent and others whose hold over us is persistent.

This way of thinking about art has close ties to the thinking behind The Art of Canada sale this season which combines works that you would traditionally expect in the Canadian Art Department’s major catalogue sale together with exceptional works entrusted to our Inuit Art Department.

We welcome change and we like contrast and juxtaposition. We like to move pictures around in our homes to revive our experiences with them. We hope this sale brings you a similar enriched experience by awakening your senses.

Please join us for our public preview leading up to the auction or contact us directly to arrange a private viewing. Mark May 30th in your calendar for Waddington’s The Art of Canada spring catalogue auction.

We look forward to welcoming you once again to Waddington’s!

View the Auction Gallery


Related News

Start Collecting

Everything you need to know to get you started bidding in our auctions at Waddington’s.

Learn More

How to Sell

Find out why selecting Waddington’s is the right choice for consigning your works of art, wine or specialty items.

Learn More

Become a Member

Sign up for your Waddington’s account to start bidding, manage your invoices, and track items you're interested in.

Sign Up