Work was discovered on wall of a barn in New York state
Heffel Fine Art Auction House says Masset, Q.C.I. sold for $290,000 at its fall sale Wednesday night. That’s above a presale estimate of $100,000 to $200,000, and does not include auction house fees.
The oil on canvas painting depicts a carved grizzly bear atop a memorial totem pole in the village of Masset on Haida Gwaii.
It was discovered several months ago at a barn sale in the Hamptons, where a New York-based art dealer bought it.
Masset, Q.C.I. was painted in 1912 as part of Carr’s efforts to create an extensive record of the artistic heritage of First Nations communities in B.C.
It’s believed to have been a gift to Carr’s friend Nell Cozier and her husband in the 1930s and has been hanging in a barn in the Hamptons since. The couple had moved to the area to work as caretakers for a large estate after originally living in Victoria.