Estate sale Emily Carr painting bought for US$50 nets C$290,000 at Toronto auction

An Emily Carr painting that was bought for just US$50 at an estate sale has sold for C$290,000 at an auction in Toronto.

According to Heffel Fine Art Auction House, the artwork titled Masset, Q.C.I. fetched $290,000 during their fall auction on Wednesday, surpassing the pre-sale estimate of $100,000 to $200,000.

With the buyer's commission included, the final sale price amounted to $349,250.

The oil painting on canvas portrays a carved grizzly bear atop a memorial totem pole in Masset, B.C., located on Haida Gwaii. It was recently discovered at a barn sale in the Hamptons, where a New York-based art dealer purchased it for US$50.

Created in 1912, Masset, Q.C.I. was part of Carr’s efforts to document the artistic traditions of First Nations communities in British Columbia. The painting is believed to have been a gift to Carr’s friend Nell Cozier and her husband in the 1930s. It had been stored in a barn in the Hamptons after the couple, who had moved from Victoria to serve as caretakers for a large estate, took residence in the area.