Our Specialists and Staff
CEO & President
Rick Unruh
Rick Unruh has been CEO and President of Clars since 2019 and Director of Fine Art since 2010. Under his leadership, Clars’ Fine Art department has had numerous world auction records, as well as, over a decade of consecutive record years of sales growth with over $100 million sold in the fine art division during his tenure. Among his notable achievements, Rick was responsible for the recent sale of Loie Hollowell’s mixed media work, Point of Entry (Blood-Orange Moon Over Orange Sac), selling for $1,050,000 (a U.S. record for the artist). Prior to this, Rick was an institutional equities trader with several international investment banking firms in New York and Paris. Rick has established numerous client relationships with affluent collectors, corporations, museums, galleries, and dealers both in the U.S. and Internationally. He has also been a regular guest commentator on Northern and Southern California’s PBS television.
Senior Vice President
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. 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.
Associate Director, Asian Art
Harry Huang
With over a decade of experience in the auction industry, Harry was previously the Head of Asian Art at Michaan’s Auctions and Fine Estate Inc. He holds a Master of Letters degree in Art History of China from Christie’s Education, London accredited by the University of Glasgow. Harry is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese.
Senior Specialist, Fine Art
Alexa Malvino
Alexa Malvino has been with the company since 2014. Ms. Malvino received her Master’s in Art History from San Francisco State University, with a focus on printmaking, along with her Bachelor of Arts in the History of Art and Visual Culture from University California, Santa Cruz. Today, she manages the print multiples, photography, and contemporary art sales at Clars. Alexa is also one of the auctioneers at the gallery.
Senior Specialist, Fine Art
Erin Cabral
Erin Cabral is a Senior Specialist in the Fine Art Department at Clars. She has worked in the auction industry for over a decade beginning her career at Bonhams in San Francisco where she was a cataloguer then specialist in the California and Western Paintings and Sculpture department. Prior to joining Clars, Erin was the Fine Art Specialist at Fine Estate Inc. She has also worked in fine art galleries, most recently at Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco. Erin received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from the University of California, Davis.
Associate Director, 20th Century Design, Furniture & Decorative Arts
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.
Senior Specialist, Furniture & Decorative Arts
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.
Senior Specialist, Furniture & Decorative Arts
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.
Specialist, Fine Jewelry & Timepieces
Yao Jiang
Yao Jiang serves as the Specialist in the Fine Jewelry & Timepieces department at Clars. Prior to joining Clars, Ms. Jiang began her career interning at Christie’s, Gurr Johns, and a regional auction house in Pittsburgh. She holds a Master of Arts Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Peking University. She is currently pursuing a Graduate Gemologist diploma at Gemological Institute of America. She is also fluent in Mandarin.
Director, Clars Wines
Andrew Bradbury
Andrew Bradbury is the director of the Clars Wines, a division of Clars Auction Gallery. With over 25 years in the Fine Wine trade, Andrew has evaluated, purchased and sold some of the rarest bottles on the globe including rare gems like 19th Century Bordeaux from top collectors and famed collections. Select accolades include the Grand Award from Wine Spectator for having one of the best wine programs in the world, James Beard “Outstanding Wine Program”, the National Restaurant Association’s “Most Innovative” as well as induction into the Las Vegas’ “Epicurean Hall of Fame”. Andrew pioneered and invented the electronic wireless wine list at Aureole in Las Vegas and was awarded the global “Digital Maverick” award from Hewlett Packard for his innovations. Mr Bradbury has appeared on numerous television programs on wine including MSNBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, Travel Channel, Food Network and in leading food and wine publications throughout his career.