Miller Brittain Paintings Fetch High Prices At An Online Auction
SAINT JOHN – Nearly 200 pieces of art were available to collectors as part of an online auction this fall, including three Miller Brittain oil paintings for more than $100,000 combined.
Antique appraiser Liz Isaac, from Liz Isaac & Citadel Gallery Auctions, explained high-quality Brittain paintings are rarely on the market because most of his paintings are in museums, corporate collections, or are privately owned.
The paintings were Sidewalk Madonna (1940), Gold Drum (1954), Girl in Yellow With Tall Sunflower (1965), which came from a private estate. A fourth Brittain painting, Space (1964), was also for sale. The last Brittain painting on the market was sold by Citadel Gallery for $120,000 in 2017.
Brittain, who died in 1968, was born and raised in Saint John and is considered one of Canada’s most accomplished painters. His paintings are known for depicting realistic scenes of every day Saint John life.
“He’s Saint John’s son, he’s New Brunswick’s son, he’s a Canadian son and yet his calibre of work has always been compared to the best of the best,” said Isaac, adding each of the paintings are from a different period of Brittain’s work.
The auction shifted from being held at the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre to online due to Covid-19. Isaac wasn’t sure at first about the lack of a live audience, but an online art auction held in July had a positive reception.
Citadel Gallery owner Mario Brideau shared the final sale figures of the Brittain oil paintings – Gold Drum went for $28,000, Sidewalk Madonna went for $50,000 and Space went for $56,000.
“What we found is we’re getting a broader range of clientele, nationally and even from the (U.S.) because everybody is reachable,” Brideau said, adding the gallery could reach a larger audience of people across Canada online and target specific markets through digital marketing.
“Most major auction houses have been doing some of their work online in the last five to eight years with their online sales and in-house sales and now everything is online,” Isaac said, with Brideau adding that at their last online auction, young collectors participated and starting to collect art.
“Some of younger ones, they’re Gerry Collins collectors,” said Isaac. “They may just want seascapes, so they’ll see what we have in a seascape, who the artist is, is this something they may like, get some history on it, and they’re able to participate,” she said.
Examples of artwork in the auction include paintings by Fred Ross, John Little and Jack Humphrey, Deichmann pottery and wooden masks by Ned Bear in addition to Brittain’s paintings.
Brideau says there may never have been another auction like this on the East Coast, with an art collection like this being sold.