Maud Lewis often sold her paintings for next to nothing, but in the ensuing years her talent has been widely recognized and now, richly rewarded.
Her ‘Three Black Cats’ went for $22,000 (CDN) last week at an auction in Toronto.
The successful bid at the Gardiner Museum on November 22, was above the auction estimate of $12,000-$15,000 (CDN).
“Maud Lewis painted multiple versions of this subject and this particular painting was purchased by a mail order directly from the artist in the late 60s for about … five or ten dollars. That was her price,” Katherine Meredith explained to CBC News.
Maud Lewis’s painting titled, Pair of Oxen with Sled of Logs. (Consignor Canadian Fine Art)
Meredith is a Canadian art specialist for Consignor Canadian Fine Art, an auction house in Toronto that specializes in Canadian historical and post-war art.
Two other paintings by Lewis, Pair of Oxen with Sled of Logs, and Red Sleigh on a Country Road, also sold at the record amounts of $16,000 (CDN) and $20,000 (CDN), respectively.
“People come in our gallery and … they’ve never been in the gallery before, they don’t really know anything about art, but they instantly recognize the Maud Lewis cats, so it’s brought a lot of attention to our gallery and our auctions.”
Maud Lewis’s painting, Red Sleigh on a Country Road is another of her well-known paintings. (Consignor Canadian Fine Art)
Lewis died in 1970 and following her death she became one of Canada’s best-known folk artists.
More recently, the 2017 movie Maudie, introduced the humble Nova Scotian to a more global audience.
(With files from CBC)
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