Waddington's Announces Exceptional Major Spring Art Auctions

The Best of Canadian & International Fine Art, First Nations Art and Inuit Art—presented by Canada's Original Auction House.

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, May 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Waddington’s is proud to present its major spring auction series featuring Canadian and International Fine Art, First Nations Art, and Inuit Art. All three auctions represent carefully curated, best-in-class examples of their respective genres. Galleries are available to browse now; bidding is available online May 14 - 28, 2026.

CANADIAN & INTERNATIONAL FINE ART
Showcasing a curated selection of outstanding Canadian and international artworks, our Major Spring Auction features important pieces by Lawren Harris, Emily Carr, David Milne, Alfred Joseph Casson, Walter Joseph Phillips, Jack Bush, and E.J. Hughes. Highlights from the international selection include exemplary works by Rudolf Ernst, Jules Olitski, Karel Appel, and Edward Seago.

Lawren Stewart Harris, (1885-1970), Canadian
LAKE SUPERIOR SKETCH, VI, CA. 1925-1928
Estimate: $700,000—900,000 CAD
Elemental and precise, 'Lake Superior Sketch VI' is a powerful work from the height of Harris’ landscape career. The brooding serenity of the piece captures the artist’s carefully honed ability to translate the majesty of one of Canada’s grandest landscapes onto his sketching panels. A calm is exuded as clouds pass over a silent and deep body of water, with the dark and distant horizon suggesting the foreboding possibility of more ominous weather to come. There is a carefully calibrated minimalism to the composition, and an interplay between the lake and sky that brings a unity, with the cloud forms mimicked by the patterns on the surface of the water. The result, as with other of Harris’ monumental Lake Superior works, draws the viewer into a heightened and dramatic world, inviting reflection and a renewed appreciation.

M. Emily Carr, RCA (1871-1945), Canadian
SOMEWHERE, CA. 1942
Estimate: $350,000—450,000 CAD
'Somewhere' reveals an artist at the height of her powers. In this painting, Carr animates and unifies the entire scene through rhythmic, translucent layers of brushwork. The marks are rapid and unfussy, indicating the confidence of a mature artist whose distillation of knowledge means that each stroke is an informed one. Tone is indicated through deft, efficient notations of light and dark calligraphic marks, ranging from white to neutral to dark umber. They also provide an overall structure: a straggling branch or tree trunk is viewed through a shimmering accumulation of directional marks. The resulting painting depicts the spiritual quality and joyful, energetic expression Carr sought, the ‘sympathetic, connected, flowing liquid, universal movement’ that was her aspiration. 'Somewhere' takes as its subject matter, the transcendent force of a living, evolving, changing rainforest.

Additional highlights include:

Rudolf Ernst (1854-1932), Austrian/French
FINISHING TOUCHES
oil on cradled panel, signed lower right; titled to nameplate; 78.1 x 63.5 cm
Estimate: $100,000—150,000 CAD

Edward John (E.J.) Hughes (1913-2007), Canadian
GOLDSTREAM, 1975
oil on canvas, signed and dated lower left; signed, titled, and dated to stretcher verso; 81.3 x 101.6 cm
Estimate: $100,000—150,000 CAD

David Brown Milne (1882-1953), Canadian
HEAVY FORMS, 1913 [SILCOX 105.20]
watercolour on wove paper, with statement of authenticity from David Milne Jr., Estate of David Milne; 55.2 x 45.7 cm
Estimate: $80,000—120,000 CAD

Jules Olitski (1922-2007), American
PARADISE FLOOD, 1989, water and oil-based acrylic on canvas, signed, titled, and dated verso; 142.2 x 111.8 cm
Estimate: $45,000—65,000 CAD

FIRST NATIONS ART
Anchored by Norval Morrisseau’s monumental 1978 canvas, 'Young Shaman with Powers', this auction also includes important works by artists Dempsey Bob, Beau Dick, Alex Janvier, Daphne Odjig, Allen Sapp, Robert Charles Davidson, Norman Tait, David Boxley, Klatle-Bhi, Terry Starr, Allan Weir, and others.

Norval Morrisseau, CM, RCA (1932-2007), Anishinaabe (Ojibwe)
YOUNG SHAMAN WITH POWERS, 1978
Estimate: $100,000—150,000 CAD
Well known to both scholars and collectors of Norval Morrisseau, 'Young Shaman With Powers' was chosen for the cover of Maclean's magazine in 1979, representing the Woodlands movement and the revolutionary vision of Norval Morrisseau. Waddington’s is pleased to present three of Norval Morrisseau’s unique visions of shamans in this auction, each investigating a facet of a subject to which Morrisseau returned to throughout his career.

Additional highlights include:

Robert Charles Davidson (Guud San Glans), OC, OBC, RCA (b. 1946), Haida
BANGLE, 1991
22k gold, 28 grams, signed and dated; 1.9 x 6.4 x 5.7 cm
Estimate: $25,000—35,000 CAD

Beau Dick (Walas Gwa'yam) (1955-2017), Kwakwaka'wakw
POOKMIS (SPIRIT OF THE DROWNED) MASK, CA. 1992
wood, shredded cedar bark, feathers, graphite, paint, inscribed "Beau Dick" on interior; overall including whistle: 90.8 x 25.4 x 24.1 cm, mask: 36.8 x 21.6 x 20.3 cm
Estimate: $10,000—15,000 CAD

INUIT ART
Featuring artworks from the pioneering collection of Dr. Norman Epstein alongside selections from the Lavrov-Costakis collection of historical art, highlights include significant works by Karoo Ashevak, Pauta Saila, Augustin Anaittuq, Nuna Parr, Tudlik, Kenojuak Ashevak, David Ruben Piqtoukun, John Tiktak, Davie Atchealak, Pierre Karlik, and other notable artists, as well an important collection of ancient Arctic ivories.

Karoo Ashevak ᑲᔪ ᐊᓴᕙ (1940-1974), Taloyoak (Spence Bay)
DRUM DANCER, CA. 1973
whalebone, baleen, signed in syllabics; 50.2 x 31.8 x 26.7 cm
Estimate: $50,000—70,000 CAD

Pauta Saila ᐸᐅᑕ ᓯᓚ, RCA (1916-2009), Kinngait (Cape Dorset)
DANCING BEAR, CA. 1984
stone, ivory, signed in syllabics; 54.6 x 41.9 x 17.8 cm
Estimate: $20,000—30,000 CAD

Nuna Parr ᓄᓇ ᐸ (1949-2026), Kinngait (Cape Dorset)
DIVING WALRUS, 1990s
stone, ivory, signed in Roman; 71.1 x 53.3 x 16.5 cm
Estimate: $15,000—25,000 CAD

Unidentified Okvik (Old Bering Sea) Artist, Sivuqaq (St. Lawrence Island)
HEAD, OLD BERING SEA II, 100 - 300 CE
ivory; 5.7 x 3.8 x 3.2 cm
Estimate: $3,000—5,000 CAD

AUCTION INFORMATION
The online preview galleries are available for viewing at www.waddingtons.ca.
Online bidding is available May 14 to May 28, 2026.
Public previews are available May 20 through May 27, or by appointment. Visit the website for more information.

ABOUT WADDINGTON'S
Waddington's is Canada's original auction house, founded in 1850. Almost 100 diverse auctions throughout the year provide a multitude of opportunities to sell desirable items to an international network of informed collectors.

Tess McLean
Waddington's Auctioneers
+1 647-296-8377
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
LinkedIn
X

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.