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Series 12: 2. Helen McNicoll

Could a beautiful painting of women working in a field be a valuable lost work by Helen McNicoll, a celebrated impressionist artist from Canada? The quest to prove it takes the team to Toronto and Quebec City in search of answers and brings them into the orbit of billionaire art collector Pierre Lassonde, who knows McNicoll’s work intimately. Has owner David discovered a long-lost work by a pioneering female artist?\n\nFiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate a picturesque outdoor scene of women in a field sold at auction in England in the ‘style of’ Helen Galloway McNicoll, one of Canada’s most important impressionist painters. The picture was bought at auction by artist and small-time art dealer David Taylor for £2,000, but it could be worth more than £300,000.\n\nHelen McNicoll is one of Canada’s most celebrated female artists of the early 20th century. As a child, she caught scarlet fever which resulted in loss of hearing and was tutored at home. Her wealthy upbringing allowed her to travel extensively, and she left Canada to study at the Slade School of Fine Art. McNicoll based herself in London for the rest of her life, travelling with British artist Dorothea Sharp and painting in France and Europe, where she adopted the impressionist style she became known for. Tragically, in 1915, she died from complications from diabetes. Despite receiving critical acclaim during her lifetime, McNicoll has until now remained relatively unknown, except in Canada where her work regularly sells for record-breaking six-figure sums.\n\nThe picture was catalogued ‘unsigned’, but David's interest was piqued when he noticed what appeared to be a signature hidden beneath the frame. The picture was framed with a misdated plaque with the title Women of The Fields and listed with provenance from the Pine-Coffin family of Canada. Despite these leads, with no catalogue raisonné and only a handful of experts who can help, the team have their work cut out to uncover the truth.\n\nPhilip travels to Canada to compare David's painting with known McNicoll works and uncovers the significance of the artist's impressionist style. He meets McNicoll scholar Julie Nash at the Grand Chateau Frontenac hotel in Quebec City, who trawls McNicoll’s exhibition history but finds no reference to a painting titled Women of The Fields. Fiona, meanwhile, delves into McNicoll’s career, discovering she had a penchant for travel and adventure. With the provenance proving elusive, Fiona looks for clues in McNicoll’s career and the subject of the painting. Her investigation leads to the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Wisley and an important clue about the activity the painting depicts.\n\nScientific analysis of a genuine McNicoll work in Canada reveals matching canvas weaves and distinctive use of red lake pigment to David’s picture, strengthening the case.\n\nAs if the stakes weren’t high enough already, it comes to a critical point when McNicoll’s biggest collector, billionaire Canadian businessman Pierre Lassonde, flies over to see the painting. With a life-changing sum of money at stake, will the team be able to find enough evidence to prove David’s saleroom gamble paid off?

Source: BBC 1