The First Consignor Auction is Officially Closed!

Posted by & filed under Cowley Abbott Updates.

Maud Lewis, Winter Sleigh Ride - Price Realized $5,520

Maud Lewis, Winter Sleigh Ride – Price Realized $5,520

Our premier auction of Canadian Art came to a close with furious biding on consignor.ca this past Wednesday, September 25th.  Our site traffic spiked in the home stretch, and with only one hour left in bidding, the gallery filled with an eager group of clients who were keen to ensure that they were the high bidders on their favourite works!  We are very pleased to be sending some wonderful works of art to Australia, China, USA, and across Canada.  The past few days have witnessed a steady stream of happy clients, excited to collect their purchases, with many already talking about the upcoming Fall Auction of Important Canadian Art.  Congratulations to everyone who successfully purchased an artwork (or two, or three…)!  Thank you to everyone who visited our gallery to view the previews, placed a bid online, and to everyone who continues to support us.  We are looking forward to revealing our exciting fall auction!

The Fall of the Gavel Replaced by the Tap of a Finger

Posted by & filed under Cowley Abbott Updates, How to.

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I remember speaking with a prominent Canadian dealer who told me about about a client of his who had missed out on their dream Lawren Harris painting, some years earlier. The client now wanted to get their hands on a Tom Thomson they had been eyeing for a long time. The Thomson was spotted in an auction catalogue for a sale that was scheduled to take place a few weeks later, in a different Canadian city than the where the client and dealer were located. The dealer was scheduled to be on a cruise ship with his wife at the same time as the auction. Not wanting to disappoint the client, the dealer insisted that he could act over the phone as an absentee bidder, and all but promised the Thomson artwork to his client. Despite the very-modern ship, connected completely by wi-fi, the telephone situation was poor. Of the few phones that were available to the guests, most had long lines behind them. The dealer and the client missed out on the Tom Thomson painting that went for a steal at the live auction!

Bidding is Open! How to Create your Collector Profile!

Posted by & filed under Cowley Abbott Updates, Cowley Abbott Videos, How to.

Consignor_Sept19adToday marks the first auction for Consignor Canadian Fine Art. With almost 70 works of art by Canadian artists including Joe Fafard, Maud Lewis, John Fox, Bruno Coté, and Doris McCarthy to name a few, this sale is a great opportunity for emerging and experienced collectors alike to add to their collection.  Before you can bid, you need to create a collector profile, on Consignor.ca, and we’ve made a video to show you how quick and easy it is to create your collector profile.

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Tech-Savvy Auction House Brings Canadian Fine Art To The Forefront of Innovation.

Posted by & filed under Cowley Abbott News & Press.

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Consignor Canadian Fine Art Launches Premiere Online Auction Event September 16 – 25

TORONTO (September 10, 2013) The drop of a gavel is being replaced by the press of a button. Buying and selling Canadian fine art is now user-friendly with Consignor Canadian Fine Art (consignor.ca), Canada’s newest auction house that bridges the gap between traditional auction services and online art marketplace. Set to launch its premiere auction event starting September 16 – 25, Consignor.ca will feature more than 60 works of art by Canadian artists including: Joe Fafard, Maud Lewis, John Fox, Bruno Coté, Jesus Carlos de Vilallonga and Doris McCarthy.

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Get to Know Ryan!

Posted by & filed under Cowley Abbott Updates.

photoAs with most industry websites, the Consignor site includes a section which features our professional biographies, however we feel they can often miss some of the funny and interesting facts that really help you get to know someone.  We asked Ryan Mayberry to complete the questionnaire below in order to provide some insight into his everyday life.

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If You Build It, They Will Come

Posted by & filed under Cowley Abbott Updates.

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Last evening we held our grand opening in Toronto.  As it was a very busy night in Toronto, including AGO First Thursdays and the opening night of TIFF, we were not sure what to expect. 

You know how they say two is company and three is a crowd? Well… 150 is party worth blogging about. 

The Who, The What & The Why

Posted by & filed under Cowley Abbott Updates, social media.

Winston Churchill Quote on Art

Consignor Canadian Fine Art is a boutique, online auction house with a dedicated preview and gallery space in downtown Toronto – across the street from the Art Gallery of Ontario.  It has been an exciting summer for the new team at Consignor. From our initial announcement, to opening our newly-renovated office, and collecting consignments for our upcoming fall auctions, we have been busy!  Consignor was created to recognize the shifts in the art market. We believe in combining the tradition, and presentation of the live auction setting, with the innovation and convenience of the online auction experience.  We’re the auction company for today’s collector.

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Bidding On Fine Art Only A Click Away

Posted by & filed under Cowley Abbott News & Press.

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WINNIPEG (Ashley Prest, Winnipeg Free Press) Winnipeg art dealer and gallery owner Ryan Mayberry has stepped into the online-auction side of the business as a partner in Consignor Canadian Fine Art.  The new company, which will officially open its doors Aug. 1, will be located in Toronto across the street from the Art Gallery of Ontario.  Mayberry will continue to operate his Mayberry Fine Art locations in Winnipeg and Toronto along with a partner gallery on the West Coast. The new company is a separate, full-time auction venture which will focus on high-end Canadian art.  “This an entirely new venture and it is really in response to how the industry is moving,” Mayberry said, adding Mayberry Fine Art tested the market last January with an online auction.  “A lot more clients are shopping online and like the convenience of it, and at the same time, we’re getting a lot of private sellers who want to sell items that way,” he said.  Consignor Canadian Fine Art is a partnership between Rob Cowley (former vice-president and chief auctioneer with Joyner Waddington’s Canadian Fine Art), Lydia Abbott (former Canadian fine art specialist with Joyner Waddington’s) and Mayberry, the founder of Consignor.ca.  “They’re buying it online but the art work is being handled by us. Everything has come into our location, it’s been inspected by us, authenticated by us, we provide full condition reports and the packing, shipping and delivery of it is completely managed by us,” Mayberry said.  “They get the same service that they would if they walked into a gallery or auction house and bought something in person.”  The new company has been started just a few months after Sotheby’s Canada announced it was ending regular live auctions in the country.

Source (with files from the Canadian Press)