Major canvas by Group of Seven artist had not been on the market since at least 1933

We are both proud and thrilled to orchestrate the private placement of A.Y. Jackson’s magnificent canvas, “Night on the Skeena River” of 1927 from its original family of owners to a new generation of stewardship. This important composition was originally featured in the iconic exhibition of Canadian West Coast Art, Native and Modern in 1927 at the National Gallery of Canada under the title "Totems, Hazelton, B.C" before being rechristened the following year by Jackson as “Night on the Skeena River”. Although we did not have the pleasure of serving the original owner, who acquired the painting from Dr. Jackson in or before 1933, we have been familiar with the following two generations of the same family. We are always proud to mention our familiarity with Jackson himself, who kindly sold to my late father many of his fine paintings and had an exhibition of his Baffin Island paintings here in 1965.

 

More recently we received occasional and encouraging visits from his niece, the late Naomi Jackson Groves. I do think that my mother, Gertrude, brother Eric and son Jonathan would agree that this painting "Night on the Skeena River" is the finest painting by A.Y. Jackson that we have offered for sale and likely the most important canvas by him we have ever seen for sale in the market place during our participation, which goes back 60 years. We were gratified that the new custodians of this important painting solicited the input and opinion of their beneficiary before its purchase, thereby assuring “ Night on the Skeena River” of two generation in this fine home. Admittedly, the price was not inexpensive. However the painting is of superlative quality, importance, of the utmost desirability, as well as being only one of five known canvases from the iconic Skeena River trip of 1926 by Dr. Jackson and one of maybe two canvases from this trip not already in museums.

 

To suggest its scarcity and desirability is gross understatement. On behalf of my family and our business, we are honoured to have represented the original owners of "Night on the Skeena River" in this transaction and to have found it an important home for two additional generations. Additionally, it is a distinct pleasure to marry “Night on the Skeena River” with an appreciation by distinguished Canadian art scholar and curator, Joan Murray, one of Canada's leading experts on Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven.

 

Please tune in tomorrow to read her appreciation, or sign up for our e-mail list to receive this and other highlights and event notices from Klinkhoff.

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