Treasure trove of Canadian art on public display at Heffel Fine Art Auction House through April 24
Works by Group of Seven, Emily Carr, and Gordon Smith among those featured from astounding private collection amassed by art dealer Torben Veje Kristiansen
E.J. Hughes’s Coastal Boats Near Sidney, B.C., watercolour on paper.
Legendary: The Collection of Torben V. Kristiansen is on display at Heffel Fine Art Auction House to April 24
A treasure trove of Canadian art is hitting the auction block—but not before Vancouverites have a chance to peruse the astounding collection amassed by respected Vancouver-based art dealer Torben Veje Kristiansen, who passed away last year.
From now through April 24, Vancouver’s Heffel Fine Art Auction House presents a preview of its spring auction, featuring a veritable who’s who of Canadian art, including works by Tom Thomson, Jean Paul Riopelle, Lawren Harris, and Alex Colville—as well as some of B.C.’s most iconic household names, like Emily Carr, B.C. Binning, E.J. Hughes, Gordon Smith, and Takao Tanabe.
In a media release, Heffel describes the collection as “one of the most remarkable single-consignor collections ever to grace Canada’s art market.” Among the works featured are Colville’s Swimmer and Sun and Riopelle’s Verts ombreuses (coincidentally, the latter artist is also being celebrated this weekend in a Vancouver Symphony Orchestra multimedia production).
Alex Colville’s Swimmer and Sun, acrylic polymer emulsion on board.
A larger-than-life figure in the Canadian art world, Kristiansen was one of the country’s most pre-eminent art dealers. He also lived a life as colourful as the artworks he collected; born in Denmark in 1930, he was a pilot for the Royal Danish Air Force who went on to fly the P-51 Mustang fighter jet in the U.S. through a NATO exchange, before immigrating to Vancouver in 1956. He entered the Canadian art scene when he purchased Vancouver’s historic Art Emporium, one of Canada’s top and oldest galleries, in 1960. He passed away at the age of 92 in August of last year.
Those hoping to take home a piece of Kristiansen’s collection when they go on the block next month will need some deep pockets. The lot value of the works start at $15,000 for an oil on wood board by Group of Seven artist Francis “Franz” Johnston, and go as high as $3.5 million for the aforementioned Riopelle canvas. 
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