When New York-based art dealer Allen Treibitz went to a barn sale in the Hamptons a few months ago, a painting hanging in the old structure immediately caught his eye.

The artwork depicting a carved grizzly bear atop a memorial totem pole bore the signature of iconic Canadian painter Emily Carr, but Treibitz was unfamiliar with her work and legacy. Still, he said he knew there was something special about it.

B次元官网网址淚t stood out from everything else in that barn,B次元官网网址� the 61-year-old, who has been dealing art for more than 40 years, said in a video call.

Treibitz purchased the painting for US$50 and after doing some preliminary research he realized its value was likely much greater.

It wasnB次元官网网址檛 until he reached out to CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Heffel Fine Art Auction House that he understood the scope of his discovery.

B次元官网网址淲e were provided photos and there was no doubt in my mind that this was an exciting Cinderella discovery,B次元官网网址� auction house president David Heffel said in an interview.

The painting will be auctioned on Nov. 20 in Toronto, with its value estimated at $100,000 to $200,000.

The piece titled B次元官网网址淢asset, Q.C.I.,B次元官网网址� was painted in 1912 as part of CarrB次元官网网址檚 efforts to create an extensive record of the artistic heritage of First Nation communities in British Columbia. It depicts an Indigenous memorial post that stood in Masset, a village on the provinceB次元官网网址檚 Haida Gwaii archipelago.

The piece is believed to have been a gift to CarrB次元官网网址檚 friend Nell Cozier and her husband in the 1930s and has been hanging in a barn in the Hamptons since. The couple had moved to the area to work as caretakers for a large estate after originally living in Victoria.

B次元官网网址淚 see a lot of very interesting things (but) this one is B次元官网网址� the most significant thing IB次元官网网址檝e ever found,B次元官网网址� Treibitz said. B次元官网网址淭he fact that it was found and that it is back to its home place is very important.B次元官网网址�

Carr incorporated techniques and styles she learned while studying art in Paris from 1910 to 1911 into the painting, which included working with vibrant watercolours, former University of Guelph art history professor Gerta Moray said.

Moray, who is the author of a book on First Nations imagery in CarrB次元官网网址檚 work, said the style of the painting was considered a setback for the artist at the time. Carr was born in Victoria in 1871 and was closely associated with the renowned Group of Seven, which includes Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris and A.Y. Jackson.

B次元官网网址淯nfortunately, because of her modern Parisian post-Impressionist style, it was not well received locally,B次元官网网址� Moray said. B次元官网网址淪he could not then find a destination for it, either with the provincial museum or getting any number of public purchases.B次元官网网址�

Heffel said the painting was found in its original frame and stretcher, and nothing had been done to it since it was hung in the barn.

B次元官网网址淚t needed a good cleaning and freshening up,B次元官网网址� he said.

Carr painted the same memorial post again in 1937, but from a different angle.

Before heading to auction, her 1912 painting will be previewed at Heffel galleries in multiple cities, starting in Calgary on Friday and through the weekend.

It will then be shown in Vancouver from Oct. 16 to 21, in Montreal from Oct. 31 to Nov. 5, and in Toronto from Nov. 15 to 19.

Treibitz said he would like to see the painting go to a collector of CarrB次元官网网址檚 work or a museum.