Helen Galloway McNicoll
Helen Galloway McNicoll
1879 - 1915
ARCA RBA
One of the foremost Canadian female practitioners of Impressionism in her time, Helen Galloway McNicoll is known for her sunlight-infused genre paintings of women and children in rural environments.

Born in Toronto in 1879, her family later moved to Montreal where she studied painting under William Brymner at the Art Association of Montreal.

McNicoll was unique in relation to other female artists at the time, as being the daughter of the vice president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, she was able to further her art education by traveling to England to study at both the Slade School of Art in London and at St. Ives in Cornwall, and to divide the duration of her lifetime between Montreal and England. It was in England that McNicoll met British Impressionist Dorothea Sharp, with whom she was to develop a close and long-lasting friendship.

One of the few artists during an age of artistic experimentation to paint using the fresh, clear chromatics and anecdotal themes associated with Impressionism, McNicoll exhibited with the Royal Society of British Artists beginning in 1913, becoming a full member of the society in the same year. In Canada, McNicoll was elected a member of the RCA in 1914, after having shown her work with the academy since 1906.

Particularly adept at capturing tranquility, McNicoll’s paintings were renowned for their portrayals of contemporary life imbued with an atmosphere of peace and stillness. It has been speculated that this heightened visual perception may have been a result of her deafness caused by a bout of scarlet fever in childhood.

In 1915 McNicoll’s career and life was cut short by illness, and she passed away at the young age of 35.
HOW TO SELL
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Watching the Boat by Helen Galloway McNicoll sold for $603,750
Helen Galloway McNicoll
Watching the Boat
25 1/4 x 30 1/4 in, 64.1 x 76.8 cm
circa 1912
oil on canvas
Estimate: $125,000 - $175,000 CDN
Sold for: $603,750 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Spring 2008 on Thursday, May 22, 2008
The Avenue by Helen Galloway McNicoll sold for $322,000
Helen Galloway McNicoll
The Avenue
38 1/4 x 31 1/4 in, 97.1 x 79.4 cm
circa 1912
oil on canvas
Estimate: $60,000 - $80,000 CDN
Sold for: $322,000 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Fall 2004 on Thursday, November 25, 2004
The Blue Sea (On the Beach at St. Malo) by Helen Galloway McNicoll sold for $315,900
Helen Galloway McNicoll
The Blue Sea (On the Beach at St. Malo)
20 1/4 x 24 in, 51.4 x 61 cm
circa 1914
oil on canvas
Estimate: $125,000 - $175,000 CDN
Sold for: $315,900 CDN (premium included)
Spring 2010 - 2nd Session on Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Reaping Time by Helen Galloway McNicoll sold for $299,000
Helen Galloway McNicoll
Reaping Time
25 x 30 1/4 in, 63.5 x 76.8 cm
circa 1909
oil on canvas
Estimate: $150,000 - $200,000 CDN
Sold for: $299,000 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Fall 2005 on Thursday, November 24, 2005
The Mother by Helen Galloway McNicoll sold for $295,000
Helen Galloway McNicoll
The Mother
20 x 24 in, 50.8 x 61 cm
circa 1912
oil on canvas
Estimate: $125,000 - $175,000 CDN
Sold for: $295,000 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2016 - 3rd Session on Wednesday, November 23, 2016
A Welcome Breeze by Helen Galloway McNicoll sold for $287,500
Helen Galloway McNicoll
A Welcome Breeze
20 x 24 in, 50.8 x 61 cm
circa 1909
oil on canvas
Estimate: $200,000 - $250,000 CDN
Sold for: $287,500 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Fall 2006 on Friday, November 24, 2006
Easter Lilies by Helen Galloway McNicoll sold for $280,800
Helen Galloway McNicoll
Easter Lilies
21 1/4 x 17 1/8 in, 54 x 43.5 cm
circa 1907
oil on canvas
Estimate: $175,000 - $225,000 CDN
Sold for: $280,800 CDN (premium included)
Spring 2012 - 2nd Session on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Children by Stream by Helen Galloway McNicoll sold for $276,000
Helen Galloway McNicoll
Children by Stream
20 x 24 in, 50.8 x 61 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $150,000 - $200,000 CDN
Sold for: $276,000 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Spring 2007 on Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Picking Fruit by Helen Galloway McNicoll sold for $276,000
Helen Galloway McNicoll
Picking Fruit
32 x 26 in, 81.3 x 66 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $250,000 - $300,000 CDN
Sold for: $276,000 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Fall 2006 on Friday, November 24, 2006
Market in Brittany by Helen Galloway McNicoll sold for $234,000
Helen Galloway McNicoll
Market in Brittany
32 x 26 in, 81.3 x 66 cm
circa 1913
oil on canvas
Estimate: $200,000 - $300,000 CDN
Sold for: $234,000 CDN (premium included)
Spring 2011 - 2nd Session on Tuesday, May 17, 2011