Clars is celebrating International Women’s Day by highlighting the career of Greta Grossman, one of the leading female designers of the mid-20th Century.
Greta Grossman.
Not only was Grossman a furniture designer, but she was also an architect and interior designer. Her career spanned forty years and her reach was global. Although originally based in Sweden, Greta’s work became incredibly popular in the United States, and in the 1940s she opened a shop in Beverly Hills. It was there that she worked for celebrity clients, such as Greta Garbo.
The Junior League of SF held its Annual Tea on March 5th where Clars was invited to showcase and discuss pieces from the 1960's relating to the event’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s theme.
Clars’ Fine Jewelry & Timepieces department had a successful year, offering essential everyday luxury as well as fine and important jewelry and timepieces.
2022 saw wonderful auction results at Clars, with outstanding Fine Art sales doing 42% of total sales for the fiscal year.
Fine Art
Stories & News
Designer Spotlight: Toshiko Takaezu
Designer Spotlight
Modern + Contemporary
Toshiko Takaezu, renowned abstract Hawaiian ceramicist from the twentieth century, drew inspiration from her own cultural background as well as contemporary painting and sculpture.
Toshiko Takaezu, Closed Forms. Sold: $24,250
Toshiko Takaezu (American/Japanese, 1922–2011) is best know for her ‘Closed forms’ which can be described as both sculptures and paintings all in one. Each form is unique and varies in shape, size, color and texture and captures a spirit that mirrors work of other postwar expressionist artists, like Joan Mitchell and Mark Rothko.
Published in 1979, Andy Warhol’s bizarre take on the classic traditional subject of fruit still lifes, titled Space Fruit: Still Life Series, underscores his evolving interest in abstract art in the late 1970s.
Clars is celebrating International Women’s Day by highlighting the career of Greta Grossman, one of the leading female designers of the mid-20th Century.
Pablo Picasso, known globally as one of the most important artists of the 20th century, created in a multitude of mediums.
Artist Spotlight
Modern + Contemporary
Designer Spotlight: Dirk Van Erp
Designer Spotlight
Modern + Contemporary
California has a long-standing tradition for metalwork. One of the most renowned metalworkers was a San Franciscan, Dirk Van Erp, who was prominent during the Arts and Crafts Period.
Dirk Van Erp, Arts & Crafts Vase. Sold: $1,520
Dirk Van Erp hand hammered copper and mica table lamp circa 1912. Sold: $15,000
While he is most well-known for his table lamps, Van Erp also designed a variety of decorative arts including vases, humidors, jadinieres, and tea kettles, among others. Dirk Van Erp table lamps were typically executed in hand-hammered copper with a mica shade.
An Arts and Crafts Dirk Van Erp Bean Pot lamp. Sold: $5,000
Also prized are Van Erps hammered copper vases. “Warty” vases are particularly collectible. They feature a hammered warty body, and often have a fine original red patina.
Left: Large Dirk Van Erp hammered copper vase. Sold: $12,500 Right: Dirk Van Erp studios, San Francisco, hammered copper “Warty” vase. Sold: $6,250
What makes a Dirk Van Erp piece more collectible? Collectors often prize the original patina, or finish. Another important factor is the date of the piece — which can be determined by taking a look at the stamped mark on the underside. Dirk Van Erp pieces are typically marked with an impressed windmill signature with text below (Van Erp was a Dutch American artisan).
D’Arcy Gaw Dirk Van Erp mark in rectangle under windmill.
The earliest signature reads, “D’ARCY GAW DIRK VAN ERP.” In 1909, Dirk joined forces with D’Arcy Gaw, an interior designer. In 1910, the duo began to use an impressed mark bearing both of their names. This mark was used until 1911. Many collectors consider works from this period to be of the best and most desirable quality.
Dirk Van Erp closed-box mark.
In 1911, when their partnership dissolved, D’ARCY’s name was removed (chiseled off) from the stamp. At this stage, the stamp became known as a “closed-box” mark, with Dirk Van Erp’s name only. This was used between the years of 1911–1912, and the box was inadvertently damaged due to chiseling, to become an “open-box” mark.
Closed box mark with San Francisco.
In addition to the open box, it is thought that during and after the 1915 World’s Fair, Dirk Van Erp added “San Francisco,” which usually appears below the box. Van Erp exhibited at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition — the San Francisco World’s Fair that demonstrated to the world that the city had risen from the ashes, a mere nine years after the Great Fire. It was a world class exhibition that brought many of the world’s finest artists to California, and served as evidence that the San Francisco Bay Area was (and is) a world class destination bursting with talent.
This mark was used from 1915 through the death of Dirk Van Erp’s son, William, in 1977.
Published in 1979, Andy Warhol’s bizarre take on the classic traditional subject of fruit still lifes, titled Space Fruit: Still Life Series, underscores his evolving interest in abstract art in the late 1970s.
Clars is celebrating International Women’s Day by highlighting the career of Greta Grossman, one of the leading female designers of the mid-20th Century.
