An Emily Carr painting that recently sold for more than $2.4 million will be on display permanently at the Audain Art Museum in Whistler.
The painting Street, Alert Bay, sold at auction to philanthropist Michael Audain’s Audain Foundation in November.
The 1912 masterpiece is the newest addition to the museum’s permanent collection of British Columbia art and was to be placed on display on Wednesday.
Street, Alert Bay, an oil on canvas painting, depicts a First Nations scene and is based on a 1909 watercolour by Carr entitled Alert Bay, Street Scene with Mother in Foreground, according to a statement from the museum.
It was painted in 1912, after Carr returned to B.C. from studying in Europe. It’s from her Fauves period, when she was experimenting with bright colours.
“The museum is grateful for the generous support of the Audain Foundation, as Emily Carr’s Street, Alert Bay adds both depth and range to our substantial holding of Canada’s most noteworthy 20th century painter,” said the museum’s chief curator Curtis Collins, in a statement.
“It is an iconic piece that reveals the artist’s dramatic use of bold colour following her return from France, which was a formative moment in Carr’s brilliant career, and we are thrilled to share this remarkable painting with the world.”
