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Jack Bush canvas fetches $870K at auction, setting new artist record

An auction house says the $870,000 sale of a canvas by Canadian abstract painter Jack Bush marks a new artist record. Cowley Abbott Auctions says Bush's "Column on Browns" drew competitive bidding at its virtual live sale on Thursday evening.
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An auction house says the $870,000 sale of a canvas by Canadian abstract painter Jack Bush marks a new artist record.

Cowley Abbott Auctions says Bush's "Column on Browns" drew competitive bidding at its virtual live sale on Thursday evening.

The 1965 oil painting fetched roughly three times its pre-auction estimate between $250,000 and $350,000.

Cowley Abbott says the sale broke Bush's previous auction record of a little under $700,000.

The auction house says "Column on Browns" has been featured in major exhibitions including the 1967 Sao Paulo Art Biennial and the 1965 "Colorists" show at the San Francisco Museum of Art.

The painting was previously owned by prestigious New York art dealer Robert Elkon.

Cowley Abbott says it saw strong results at Thursday's auction, selling off more than three-quarters of its fall catalogue.

The auction house says Emily Carr's "Forest Glade (Dark Glade)" also exceeded expectations with a $216,000 sale.

All sums include auction house fees on top of the hammer price.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2020.

The Canadian Press