An art dealer in New York found a painting by Canadian artist Emily Carr at a barn sale in the Hamptons for $50 and later authenticated it as a 1912 work titled "Masset, Q.C.I." The painting was sold at auction for C$290,000, well above its initial estimate of C$100,000 to C$200,000. The canvas depicts an Indigenous memorial post in Haida Gwaii and is significant as it comes from a crucial period in Carr's career when she documented landscapes and Indigenous subjects in British Columbia.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In a surprising turn of events, New York-based art dealer Allen Treibitz discovered a signed painting at a barn sale in the Hamptons for just $50. The work turned out to be a rare 1912 piece by Emily Carr, one of Canada's most celebrated artists. After authentication by experts at Heffel Fine Art Auction House in Vancouver, the painting, titled "Masset, Q.C.I.," depicting an Indigenous memorial post with a carved grizzly bear from Masset village on British Columbia’s Haida Gwaii archipelago, was auctioned for C$290,000. This discovery highlights the unexpected value that can be found in overlooked artworks and underscores Carr's enduring significance in Canadian art history.
Written for “Hamptons Painting Auction Surprise” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
A dusty barn sale in the Hamptons is not where most people expect to encounter a significant work of Canadian art.
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people → expect → art
Yet that is exactly where New York-based art dealer Allen Treibitz found a painting that would eventually sell for hundreds of thousands of Canadian dollars.
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that → base → dollars
Bought for just $50, the canvas was later authenticated as a 1912 work by Emily Carr, one of Canada's most celebrated artists.
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canvas → buy → artists
The discovery turned an overlooked painting into one of the more remarkable bargain finds to reach the auction market in 2024, states Canadian Press report.
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An unexpected find in the Hamptons
Treibitz came across the signed canvas while browsing a barn sale in the Hamptons.
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Treibitz → come → Hamptons
At the time, he was not particularly familiar with Carr or the significance of her work, but something about the painting stood out among the objects surrounding it.
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After taking the painting home, he began researching it online and eventually contacted Heffel Fine Art Auction House in Vancouver.
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Specialists examined the work and determined that it was an authentic Emily Carr painting.
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The discovery was eventually identified as Masset, Q.C.I., an oil on canvas measuring approximately 41 by 33 centimetres, adds the online report.
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A glimpse of Haida Gwaii
Painted in 1912, Masset, Q.C.I. depicts an Indigenous memorial post topped with a carved grizzly bear in Masset, a village on British Columbia's Haida Gwaii archipelago, historically known as the Queen Charlotte Islands.
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glimpse → paint → Islands
The work dates from an important period in Carr's career, when she was documenting landscapes and Indigenous subjects in British Columbia.
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she → date → Columbia
Born in Victoria to British immigrant parents, Carr later became closely associated with the Canadian art movement surrounding the Group of Seven.
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The painting also carried clues to its earlier history.
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An inscription on the reverse refers to an address on Boulevard Montparnasse in Paris, believed to connect to Carr's period of study in France around 1910 and 1911.
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From a barn to the auction block
According to the report, the painting's provenance offered another intriguing chapter.
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It is believed to have been given by Carr to her friends Nell Cozier and her husband during the 1930s.
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The couple, originally from Victoria, later moved to the Hamptons to work on a large estate, where the painting apparently remained in a barn for decades.
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When Heffel announced the work for its November 20, 2024 Toronto auction, the auction house placed an estimate of C$100,000 to C$200,000 on it.
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Competitive bidding pushed the hammer price to C$290,000, comfortably above the high estimate.
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Heffel's records put the final price, including fees, at C$349,250, the report mentions.
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The Aporia
