Artist Spotlight: Joseph Raphael

  • Artist Spotlight
  • Modern + Contemporary

Joseph Raphael, a California native, studied at the California School of Design.

He saved money during the 1890s, first as a newspaper illustrator and later as a sign painter, to continue his artistic studies overseas. He spent most of his life aboard, living 36 years in Paris and the Netherlands.


Joseph Raphael, <em>Portrait of a Young Lady</em>.
Joseph Raphael (American, 1869–1950), Portrait of a Young Lady, oil on canvas (laid down on board), 16″ x 12.25″.
Sold: $3,780

Keeping strong ties to San Francisco, he exhibited his paintings regularly in local shows and through Albert Bender, a patron of early works of Ansel Adams and Diego Rivera. Before World War II, he returned to San Francisco and maintained a studio on 345 Sutter Street until his death on December 11, 1950.


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Artist Spotlight: George Morrison

George Morrison was a Native American artist well known for his abstract paintings and landscapes.

  • Artist Spotlight
  • Modern + Contemporary

Artist Spotlight: Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz began her artistic career at the San Francisco Art Institute in the late 1960s, where she originally studied painting but was inspired to change her focus to photography.

  • Artist Spotlight
  • Modern + Contemporary

Fall Modern + Contemporary Art Highlights

Clars’ is excited to present our Fall Modern + Contemporary Art Auction on September 14th. The sale will feature artworks spanning movements and decades, with notable works for all collectors.

  • Auction
  • Modern + Contemporary

Artist Spotlight: Henrietta Berk

Henrietta Berk’s artistic prowess stood out as she delved into the intricacies of human emotion and intimacy during the Bay Area Figurative Movement.

  • Artist Spotlight
  • Fine Art

Artist Spotlight: Percy Gray

Born 1869 in San Francisco, California, Gray became a prominent figure in the California plein air movement.

  • Artist Spotlight
  • Fine Art

Artist Spotlight: William Wendt

Wendt was among the landscapists who comprised the Eucalyptus School of painters, named for the trees commonly seen in California.

  • Artist Spotlight
  • Fine Art