Paintings by insulin discoverer Banting auctioned in London, top pre-sale estimate | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Paintings by insulin discoverer Banting auctioned in London, top pre-sale estimate

"Georgian Bay, Ontario", by Sir Frederick Grant Banting, is shown in a handout photo, released on Tuesday December 3, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Bonhams

TORONTO - Two paintings by famed Canadian scientist Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin, sold at a London auction Wednesday above the pre-sale estimate.

The hammer price for Banting's "Georgian Bay, Ontario" was C$34,901, while bidding on "Canadian Rockies, Alberta" closed at C$21,813 at the Bonhams Travel and Exploration sale. Both prices include the buyer's premium.

Bonhams had estimated the 27-by-34.5-centimetre oils on panel would sell for between $17,000 and $26,000 each.

Banting began painting in about 1921 and became friends with the Group of Seven artists, sharing their love of the rugged Canadian landscape.

The University of Toronto scientist made several sketching trips with Group member A.Y. Jackson to different parts of Canada, and the two auctioned works are typical examples of his landscapes.

Banting won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923 for the discovery of the lifesaving treatment for diabetes, sharing the award with J.J.R. Macleod.

He died in February 1941 in a Newfoundland air disaster while serving as a Second World War medical services liaison officer.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2013
The Canadian Press

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