Jones Auction House in Saint John, N.B., has set an international auction record for artwork from Everett Lewis, the husband of famed Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis.
The auction house says Everett’s oil painting Two Black Cats (1972) sold for $18,400, far exceeding its high estimate of $4,500.
“The Two Black Cats sales result represents the highest recorded auction price worldwide for a painting by Everett Lewis, reflective of the growing recognition of Maritime folk artists within the broader Canadian art market,” said Jones Auction House in a news release.
The owner acquired the painting directly from Everett in 1972, and it remained in their private collection in Nova Scotia for more than 50 years.
According to Jones Auction House, Everett would often help Maud prepare materials for her work. His work, most of which came after Maud’s death in 1970, is inspired by or based on her folk art.
Sarah Jones, curator and co-owner of Jones Auction House, says Everett’s work typically sells in the $3,000-to-$5,000 range.
“Because the Maud prices are quite high and inaccessible for some buyers, there is more of an interest in Everett,” she explained to CTV News Atlantic.
Interest in Everett’s work has grown
While the demand for Maud’s work has always been much higher than Everett’s, the auction house says interest in Everett’s art has grown in recent years.
Some of that interest is due to the 2016 film Maudie, which depicts the life and times of Maud and Everett Lewis. Jones says demand for works from both artists grew after the film was released.
“All kinds of people know who this artist is, and they want a piece of her story or a piece of their story,” she says. “But then also there is critical or kind of curatorial or historical value to the work as well. So, there are lots of institutions and curators and art historians who are taking, especially Maud Lewis’s work, quite seriously and recognizing how innovative it was.”
The Auction House has a growing reputation for handling high value works of Lewis. In 2024, the house sold a pair of Maud’s works for $90,850 and $87,400.
The latest sale was part of Jones Auctions’ 2025 Fall Art & Luxury Auction, which featured a wide range of artwork and designer items from Atlantic Canadian collections.
The auction house says artwork from other Atlantic Canadian artists also sold above their estimates, including two paintings by Maud Lewis, one of which sold for $49,450, roughly double the estimated price.
While higher than expected, Nova Scotia art dealer Chad Brown says that’s still a decent price for a Maud Lewis painting, but he admits he’s still trying to wrap his head around the price tag on Everett’s painting.
He points out that Maud Lewis had a similar black cat painting, and given the high price for that masterpiece, he believes some turned their attention to the more affordable Everett model.
“This is as close to a second best as you can get,” said Brown. “There’s something with the black cat image that’s resonating with people more than any other Lewis image. So, my gut’s telling me that there’s a connection to its three black cats, which is her iconic images, so if one of those isn’t available, then this is going to be the next best thing.”
Brown says it’s tough to predict if the record-setting sale is a sign of more to come for Everett’s work. He says prices in the art world tend to fluctuate and there are a number of factors that determine the final sale price.
While Maud is undoubtedly the more popular of the two artists, Everett still has his fans.
“The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia has some Everett Lewis paintings in their permanent display, which they never did in the past,” Brown notes. “It’s interesting and maybe it’s just something in the image that people like.”
Brown jokes that collecting the couple’s artwork is the new cryptocurrency, given their high value and the fact that art tends to gain value over time. He says the two make a good combo and is looking forward to future sales of their works.
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