Larry Humber

2 weeks ago | theartnewspaper.com | Larry Humber

It was not a hockey game, but one could almost hear the strains of the national anthem, “Oh, Canada”, as bidding began at the Heffel Fine Art Auction House’s spring sales in mid-town Toronto on Thursday night (22 May). A total of 85 lots were on offer, all by Canadian artists, including a handful of Group of Seven members, with an estimated value of C$18m to C$22m ($12.9m-$15.8m). Pelting rain and persistent concerns about tariffs, trade wars and a recession did little to dampen the mood.

2 months ago | theartnewspaper.com | Larry Humber |Claire Voon

You are about to hear a lot more from the Toronto-based Vega Foundation , whose core mission is to support artists’ film and video works by commissioning new pieces and stewarding its growing collection. It has worked with more than a dozen artists over the past two years and has big projects launching in the coming months. The foundation takes its name from the brightest star in the constellation of Lyra, part of a larger network of stars that form a guiding light.

Feb 13, 2025 | theartnewspaper.com | Larry Humber |Lee Cheshire |José Da Silva |Anna Sansom

The Textile Museum of Canada will close its doors on 16 February, with a re-opening date still to be determined but tentatively expected in September. Funding is a major concern, along with accessibility—the building’s elevator is in need of serious repair. Board chair Urmi Desai, who has been involved with the downtown Toronto museum for nearly a decade, told the Toronto Star the building is “no longer safe”. “We were already going to close due to the elevator,” Desai tells The Art Newspaper.

Nov 21, 2024 | theartnewspaper.com | Larry Humber

The previously unheralded Emily Carr painting Masset, QCI (1912), which an eagle-eyed dealer bought for $50 at a New York barn sale earlier this year, exceeded expectations at the Heffel Fine Art Auction House’s autumn sale Wednesday night (20 November) in Toronto. The 16in by 13in work, depicting a bear totem on Haida Gwaii, was given a high estimate of C$200,000 ($143,000).

Nov 18, 2024 | theartnewspaper.com | Larry Humber

At the federal level, the future of relations between Canada and the US may seem uncertain considering the outcome of this month’s American presidential election, but at the level of public art a new bilateral partnership is in the offing.