From Inuit Sculpture to Modern Painting: Waddington's Major Spring Sale

Waddington’s will hold its Major Spring Sale on May 28, 2026 in Toronto to mark its 176th anniversary. The sale runs in three sessions: Canadian and International Fine Art at 5 p.m. EST, First Nations Art at 6 p.m. EST, and an additional session at 7 p.m. EST. Highlights include Lawren Stewart Harris’s Lake Superior Sketch, VI (ca. 1925–1928), noted for deep shadowy hues and painterly brushstrokes that suggest storm threat while preserving landscape serenity. Another highlight is David Brown Milne’s Heavy Forms (1913), described as Modernist in sensibility, using a restricted palette and simplified composition while reflecting broader European and American influences.

"Lawren Stewart Harris (1885-1970) garnered significant acclaim for his landscapes, of which Lake Superior Sketch, VI (ca. 1925-1928) is a premier example. The Canadian artist and Group of Seven co-founder developed a unique style that was compositionally pared down yet psychologically complex-here, the deep, shadowy hues and painterly brushstrokes convey the threat of a storm without compromising the serenity of the Canadian landscape. Dated from a period of prodigious experimentation, largely inspired by the shifting natural world, Lake Superior was one of the artist's most potent and longstanding sources of inspiration."

"Canadian artist David Brown Milne (1882-1953) is recognized as one of the preeminent artists of his generation in Canada, and the year before his passing his work was included in the Canadian pavilion of the Venice Biennale alongside that of Emily Carr, Goodridge Roberts, and Alfred Pellan. While his career overlapping with that of the Group of Seven, and he likewise focused predominantly on landscapes, his work has a decidedly more Modernist sensibility influenced by prevailing trends in the United States and Europe. Painted the same year he was featured in the seminal Armory Show, Heavy Forms (1913) carries on the tradition of the preceding generation like that of Matisse or Cézanne, but nevertheless reveals his inimitable style, including a restricted palette and simplified compositional approach."

Read at Artnet News