Maud Lewis paintings lead Miller & Miller folk art auction Oct. 8

Miller & Miller Auctions will offer 38 lots of Canadian folk art online Oct. 8, led by rare Maud Lewis paintings and notable works by Joe Norris, Angus Trudeau, Cyril Hirtle, Conrad Furey, Yvon Coté and Phyllis Cosman. The sale centers on fresh-to-market pieces from single-owner collections and estates, with bidding available online and through live webcast closing.

Why it matters: - The auction brings together rare Canadian folk art that is typically hard to find in one sale. - The top lots include fresh-to-market Maud Lewis paintings, a key draw for collectors of Canadian folk art. - The sale also widens attention to regional artists from Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Quebec and Ontario.

What happened: - Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. will hold its Post-War Canadian Folk Art auction on Thursday, October 8, 2026. - The online-only sale includes 38 lots and begins at 6 p.m. Eastern Time. - The auction will close sequentially in real time through a live webcast. - Collectors can bid through Miller & Miller Auctions and LiveAuctioneers. - Phone and absentee bidding are also accepted. - The sale features fresh-to-the-market works from single-owner estates and long-standing collections.

The details: - Lot 22 is Maud Lewis’s Model T, estimated at 30,000 to 35,000 CAD. - The painting was made in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia, circa 1965. - The work shows a couple driving in a Ford Model T and includes a letter of authenticity. - Lot 23 is Maud Lewis’s Horse and Buggy, estimated at 20,000 to 25,000 CAD. - The painting was made in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia, circa 1965. - The work shows three passengers in a bright early-spring landscape and includes a letter of authenticity. - Lot 20 is Joe Norris’s Winter Scene, estimated at 6,000 to 9,000 CAD. - The painting was made in Lower Prospect, Nova Scotia, circa 1978. - The scene shows fresh snow, autumn leaves, snow flecks, evergreens, bare branches and grazing moose. - Lot 25 is Angus Trudeau’s Anderson’s Mill, Little Current, estimated at 4,000 to 6,000 CAD. - The work was painted on Manitoulin Island circa 1980. - The painting depicts the Anderson’s Mill planing mill, built by Charles Anderson in 1886 and known locally as the Red Mill. - Lot 14 is Cyril Hirtle’s Man with Lobster Traps, estimated at 2,500 to 3,500 CAD. - The painting was made at Hirtles Beach in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, circa 1985. - Lot 24 is Conrad Furey’s Childhood Games, estimated at 2,000 to 3,000 CAD. - The painting was made in 1985 and draws on Furey’s memories of growing up in Baie Verte, Newfoundland. - The work includes hoop rolling, circle dancing, chopping wood, tending the clothesline, boating and shoreline play. - The painting retains a Beaverbrook Art Gallery label on the reverse. - Quebec is represented by 10 works by Yvon Coté, including Lot 4, Rooster, estimated at 2,000 to 3,000 Canadian. - The carving was made in Grande-Vallée, Québec, circa 1980. - Lot 15 is Phyllis Cosman’s Pioneer with Butter Churn, estimated at 900 to 1,200 CAD. - The carving was made in Avonport, Nova Scotia, circa 2000. - The sale also includes earlier 1950s Maud Lewis works in Lots 26 and 27. - The sale includes Cyril Hirtle’s Man with Lobster Traps, and fewer than 100 examples of Hirtle’s work are known to exist. - The auction includes three works by female carver Phyllis Cosman. - The auction link is the full auction listing.

Between the lines: - The concentration of Maud Lewis works suggests strong collector interest in the artist’s market. - The mix of paintings and carvings shows Miller & Miller is positioning the sale as a broad survey of post-war Canadian folk art, not just a Maud Lewis event. - The emphasis on rarity and single-owner provenance is a likely bid driver for specialized buyers. - Strong pre-bidding indicates early demand ahead of the live sale.

What's next: - Bidding remains open ahead of the Oct. 8 auction through the company site and LiveAuctioneers. - The sale will begin at 6 p.m. Eastern Time with lots closing one by one online. - Miller & Miller is accepting consignments of single pieces, estates and collections by phone and email.