The Aporia · A $50 Hamptons barn-sale painting later sold for C$290,000 at auction

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 by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

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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 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

📰 Hamptons Painting Auction Surprise

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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.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-26

🔮 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.

2026-09-26 · Times of India

A $50 Hamptons barn-sale painting later sold for C$290,000 at auction · assertive framing

A dusty barn sale in the Hamptons is not where most people expect to encounter a significant work of Canadian art. asserted

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. asserted

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. asserted

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. asserted

report → turn → 2024

An unexpected find in the Hamptons Treibitz came across the signed canvas while browsing a barn sale in the Hamptons. asserted

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. asserted

something → stand → it

After taking the painting home, he began researching it online and eventually contacted Heffel Fine Art Auction House in Vancouver. asserted

he → take → Vancouver

Specialists examined the work and determined that it was an authentic Emily Carr painting. asserted

it → examine → work

The discovery was eventually identified as Masset, Q.C.I., an oil on canvas measuring approximately 41 by 33 centimetres, adds the online report. asserted

report → identify → centimetres

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. asserted

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. asserted

Carr → bear → Seven

The painting also carried clues to its earlier history. asserted

painting → carry → history

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. asserted

inscription → refer → 1910

From a barn to the auction block According to the report, the painting's provenance offered another intriguing chapter. uncertain

provenance → accord → chapter

It is believed to have been given by Carr to her friends Nell Cozier and her husband during the 1930s. asserted

It → believe → 1930s

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. asserted

painting → move → decades

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. asserted

house → announce → it

Competitive bidding pushed the hammer price to C$290,000, comfortably above the high estimate. asserted

bidding → push → estimate

Heffel's records put the final price, including fees, at C$349,250, the report mentions. asserted

report → put → 349,250

A $50 Hamptons barn-sale painting later sold for C$290,000 at auction

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