The Heffel art auction sells paintings consigned from all over Canada, the U.S. and even Europe. Still, they didn’t expect a previously unknown Tom Thomson painting to turn up in Vernon.
Marit Mayne contacted the gallery last August about the small painting, she had received as a 70th birthday gift from her longtime friend from nursing school, Glenna Gardiner.
“As a gag,” said Gardiner, 71.
Gardiner had inherited the painting from her father Jack, a United Church minister who was a bit of a joker.
“Dad always said it was a Tom Thomson, but I never really believed him, because he was prone to tell stories, just to tell a good story,” she said.
Mayne came out for a visit and they decided to sort through Gardiner’s paintings. And she instantly knew it was special.
“And on my 70th birthday she mailed it to me,” Mayne said. “Actually she mailed it to my daughter, and my daughter brought it to my birthday party.”
A year later an artist friend from Norway visited Mayne, and encouraged her to get the painting appraised. So she phoned the Heffel Gallery, which is Canada’s premier art auctioneer.
Heffel’s Lauren Kratzer picks up the story. “When she sent the images we thought: ‘Oh wow, this looks pretty darn good.’ ”
Mayne brought the painting to Vancouver and Robert Heffel carefully removed a label that was attached to the back.
Underneath was an inscription: “Painted by Tom Thomson, 1912 or 13. Given to T.M. 1915. Thoreau MacDonald.”
“He looked like Christmas had come,” Mayne said. “There was really a sparkle in his eye when he saw that.”
Mayne gave the painting back to Gardiner, who has consigned it in the May 30 Heffel auction in Toronto. It will be part of a public preview from Saturday through Tuesday at the gallery.
The pre-auction estimate is $125,000 to $175,000.
