A work by Canadian artist Jean Paul Lemieux (1904-1990) is the anticipated highlight of an upcoming spring art auction in Vancouver, Canada.
The oil on canvas La plage américaine, completed in 1973, has an estimate of CDN$500,000-700,000 ahead of the May 17 sale.
 Lemieux’s La plage américain had a big impact in the USSR |
"One has to remember that this painting was presented in 1974 in Russia - still the USSR at the time - where a subject like La plage américaine could not be seen as neutral," the auction house writes.
"The feeling of absolute freedom given by the child running with his kite in the background could not have escaped the Moscow, Leningrad or Prague visitors who saw the painting.
"One can only imagine the effect of such a scene on the mind of the Russian or Slavic visitors who at the time were used to living in cramped conditions in small apartments shared by too many people."
Lemieux's Le mois de juin will also appear at the sale. Completed in 1964 and depicting a farmer in front of a grey sky, it is expected to achieve CDN$350,000-450,000.
The auction will also feature an atypical work by Emily Carr. Better known for her pieces depicting the Canadian northwest, Houses in Brittany from 1911 stems from her brief sojourn in France.
It is estimated at CDN$90,000-110,000.
There will also be opportunities for collectors of the hugely popular Group of Seven, with Franklin Carmichael's 1936 work La Cloche Hills among the standout pieces at the auction. It is valued at CDN$90,000-120,000.
Paul Fraser Collectibles will bring you all the key sales from this exciting looking auction next month.
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