The E.J. Hughes painting Entrance to Howe Sound sold for $4,801,250 at a Heffel auction in Toronto on Nov. 19, the highest price ever paid for an artwork by a B.C. artist.

It was painted in 1949, based on a graphite sketch Hughes had done in 1937. The subject is a small island filled with trees, in the midst of the wavy blue waters of Howe Sound. A Union Steamship is sailing by, with dark mountains looming behind.

“It’s a blockbuster, from his prime period,” said David Heffel, who runs the auction with his brother Robert.

The previous record for a B.C. artist or artwork was Emily Carr’s The Crazy Stair (The Crooked Staircase), which sold for $3,393,000 at a Heffel auction in 2013.

The previous record for an E.J. Hughes painting was the $2,041,250 paid for his 1946 painting Fishboats, R

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