Three Lawren Harris paintings highlight Heffel auction tonight

TORONTO - Three works by Group of Seven painter Lawren Harris and what’s believed to be Tom Thomson’s last painting are going on the auction block tonight. The paintings are part of the Heffel Fine Art Auction House fall sale, with 156 lots expected to generate between $10 million to $15 million in sales by night’s end. Harris’s “Winter Landscape” is expected to sell for between $1.2 million to $1.6 million, “Mountain and Glacier” has an estimated value between $1 million and $1.5 million, and “Winter in the Ward” could go for between $500,000 to $700,000. While Harris paintings are always a big draw, there could be increased interest in his work given the buzz around a Steve Martin-curated exhibit at the Los Angeles Hammer Museum. The exhibit will also hit Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario in 2016.