Fake or Fortune? Catch up, Series 12: 2. Helen McNicoll on BBC 1

Fake or Fortune?

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

Most recent episodes of Fake or Fortune?

Fake Or Fortune?

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 ...

03-10-2024

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 12: 1. Mondrian

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate a charming little white flower picture, purported to be by one of the most important abstract artists of the 20th century, Piet Mondrian ...

26-09-2024

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 11: 4. Arshile Gorky

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate a murky canvas that could be by Arshile Gorky, a pioneer of abstract expressionism. Works by this Armenian-American artist fetch million ...

28-08-2024

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 11: 3. Cezanne And Pissarro

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould head to France on the trail of two of the greatest Impressionist and post-Impressionist artists, Camille Pissarro and his friend and protege, Paul C ...

21-08-2024

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 11: 2. Joshua Reynolds

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould head to north London to meet Glyn Hopkin, a car dealer with a soft spot for art. He’s taken a gamble on a painting he hopes is by a towering f ...

26-07-2024

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 8: 1. The Lost Gainsborough

The team investigate an 18th-century landscape: could it be a lost work by the great British master of landscape painting, Thomas Gainsborough? \n\nThe painting has been in the ...

24-06-2024

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 11: 1. Elisabeth Frink

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould head to the beautiful Essex countryside on the trail of one of the 20th century’s greatest artists, Dame Elisabeth Frink. They are investigati ...

19-06-2024

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 10: 4. Flemish Old Master

Fiona and Philip visit a church in Port Glasgow to investigate whether a mysterious work depicting Christ after the crucifixion could be a lost masterpiece by one of the great p ...

22-02-2024

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 10: 3. Sisley

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate a charming little landscape of a French village with a river running through it, purported to be by one of the founding members of the 1 ...

15-02-2024

BBC 1

All episodes

Fake Or Fortune?

Series 10: 2. Modigliani

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate a delicate sketch depicting a mother and child, purported to be by one of the modern art world’s most famous names, Amedeo Modigli ...

08-02-2024

BBC 1

All episodes