The Furniture and Decorative Arts Department specializes in fine furniture and decorative arts which comprises American, English, and Continental pottery, porcelain, glass, textiles, mirrors, lighting, clocks, bronze and marble sculpture, tapestries, and carpets from the late 17th century through the 21st century. Clars has realized record results in all categories of property included in this very broad department of decorative art and furniture auctions.
Deric Torres
Deric Torres is Senior Vice President of Trusts and Estates and Director of Furniture and Decorative Arts. Deric has been a part of the Clars team since 2009 and has brought to Clars many high level multi million dollar estates, including Thomas J. Perkins, Richard Mellon Scaife, the Spenger collection, and many other high profile estates including the Christensen estate which sold a rare Tiffany and Co. jade scent bottle which brought over $200,000. Deric is also responsible for bringing the Metropolitan Museum of Art NYC and many other institutions to the gallery.
Deric has been in the furniture and decorative arts field for nearly 30 years, and he is also an auctioneer at the gallery in addition to being a USPAP compliant appraiser and a member of the International Society of Appraisers since 2011. He has also been a regular guest commentator on Northern and Southern California’s PBS television, in addition to Public Television in the Seattle/Tacoma region.
Cristina Campion
Cristina Campion is Associate Director of 20th Century Design, and the Furniture and Decorative Arts Department at Clars. Cristina has been with Clars since May 2012, and has a wide range of knowledge of furniture and decorative arts including both American and Continental ranging from the 17th-21st centuries. Cristina has handled numerous notable names in 20th Century Design, and specializes in Danish, American and Italian Modern. Ms. Campion has handled numerous prominent estates including Robin Leach, and is also an auctioneer at the gallery.
Ms. Campion studied Art History at Connecticut College where she graduated cum laude and with Dean’s High Honors. She was granted the Mellon Foundation Foreign Language Research Award, as well as the Mayhew-Grant-in-Aid of Student Research to write her honor’s thesis: Etruscan Women: Gender Equality in the Ancient Mediterranean. She also was awarded the Connecticut College Museum Studies Certification.
Elizabeth Dalton
Elizabeth Dalton is a Senior Specialist in the Furniture and Decorative Arts Department at Clars. Elizabeth has had over thirty years of auction experience in the Bay Area. Prior to joining Clars in 2019, Elizabeth headed the Furniture & Decorative Arts Department at Michaans Auctions where she was responsible for their Fine and monthly Estate auctions for fifteen years. During the 1990s Elizabeth worked at Butterfield & Butterfield as a Cataloguer and an Inventory Controller for Asian, Furniture and Decorative Arts departments. Prior to moving to San Francisco, Elizabeth worked as a curatorial researcher at Corcoran Art Gallery in Washington DC and in the Education Department at National Gallery of Arts during The Treasure House of Britain exhibit. Elizabeth received a BA in art history from University of Southern California and a postgraduate certificate from Sotheby’s Works of Arts, London.
Suzy Pai
Suzy Pai is a specialist in the Furniture and Decorative Arts Department at Clars. She has over 20 years’ experience in brick-and-mortar auctions and luxury online resale. Suzy began her career at Bonhams in San Francisco in 1999, and worked there for 17 years as a cataloguer, then specialist and auctioneer for the Decorative Arts Department. Prior to joining Clars, she was the Account Manager for Galleries for Sotheby’s online, and Luxury Manager for private consignors at The RealReal. Suzy received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Boston University.