Rare Maud Lewis painting set to make waves at auction
‘I’d call it a one-off’ – Alan Deacon
It was during a visit to Halifax in 1982 when American professor Dr. Arch Woodside first learned about a late local artist known as "the Canadian Grandma Moses." As a collector of naïve art from around the world, Arch was intrigued. He took note and soon found himself “fishing” for maritime art pieces in a gallery in downtown Halifax. It was there that a particular painting caught his eye.
It featured a tranquil seaside scene, with schooners sailing through a gap in the Digby shoreline, commonly referred to as the Digby "Gut." The artist’s signature, “M.Lewis,” was painted prominently on the right side. As luck would have it, Arch had stumbled upon one of Maud Lewis’s rarest and earliest works. Now, 42 years later, the painting is set to sail into Miller & Miller’s October 13th auction of Canadian Folk Art.
“The Gap, Digby, N.S” by Maud Lewis is offered as lot 465 in Miller & Miller’s October 13th sale of Canadian Folk Art.
“What really attracted me was the thick paint built up on the surface,” Arch recalls. “And also the fact that there was a title, ‘The Gap, Digby, N.S.,’ painted in large letters halfway down the painting. I’d never seen anything quite like it, and I knew I had to have it.” Arch remembers US$400 changing hands.
For Alan Deacon, a renowned Maud Lewis expert who has been studying her work for over 50 years, The Gap represents a “veritable treasure” within Maud’s body of work. “I’ve verified hundreds and hundreds of Maud Lewis works, and I’ve never seen this image before,” said Alan. “I’d call it a ‘one-off.’”
This early work stands out not only for its rare title—Alan has encountered only about four other Maud works with titles—but also for its exceptionally uncommon signature, "M. Lewis.”
"Maud varied her signatures throughout her career," Alan explains. "Sometimes it was 'Maud.Lewis,' other times just 'Lewis.' The signature on 'The Gap,' marked as 'M. Lewis,' is the rarest of the three."
“M. Lewis” is the rarest of Maud’s signature variations.
The Gap also stands out for its rare title.
The Gap also serves as a window into Maud's earlier years when she was still able to capture delicate details in her work. Born in 1903 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Maud lived with physical deformities caused by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Over the course of her life, her arthritis progressively diminished her ability to open her hands or manipulate brushes with dexterity. As a result, her later works became more simplified, with bolder strokes and less detail. However, The Gap—with its more realistic details—shows Maud’s capacity for more intricate, precise brushwork. The rich textures and rugged beauty of Nova Scotia’s coastline are rendered with a finesse that would later become difficult due to her advancing arthritis.
The two Maud works shown above illustrate the evolution of her career. The work on the left, also featuring a rare title and “M. Lewis” signature, was painted in the late 1940s to early 1950s. It highlights Maud’s ability to capture fine details early in her career, while the similar work on the right, from the 1960s, reflects the simpler shapes and reduced detail characteristic of her later work as her arthritis worsened. “Sandy Cove, Digby N.S” (left) is featured in the McMichael Exhibition Catalogue "Paintings for Sale" by Sarah Milroy (p.24). Source.
The auction of The Gap comes amid growing recognition of Maud’s work, both nationally and internationally. The sale follows several record-breaking auctions for her paintings, including the sale of Black Truck at Miller & Miller in May 2022, which fetched CA$350,000. Remarkably, the painting had been traded by its owner in the 1970s for a few grilled cheese sandwiches.
As the value of Maud’s work continues to soar, early pieces like The Gap have become especially coveted for their rarity and the insight they provide into her artistic evolution. This painting offers collectors the chance to acquire not only an exceptional work of art but also a significant piece of Canadian folk art history. And many collectors will agree: no piece completes a Canadian art collection quite like a “Maud”.
SALE INFORMATION:
Canadian Folk Art
October 13, 2024
9am EST | Online only
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