Born in 1929 in Matsumoto, Japan, Yayoi Kusama is well known for her sculptures, installations, paintings, performances and fashion. Kusama is the highest-selling living female artist and has a body of work that spans over the past 70 years.

A preeminent figure in the art world, Kusama emerged onto the art scene in the 1960s in New York, collaborating with Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenberg, and Robert Morris and contributed to the rise of feminist and pop art.

Throughout her work, Kusama has explored such themes as her own obsessive-compulsive disorder, hallucinations, sexuality and freedom. Various Kusama prints that were sold at Clars exhibit her signature style, featuring polka dots and nets in dense patterns with obsessive repetition.

In 1993, Kusama represented Japan at the Venice Biennale. She has been the subject of major exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo as well as a major retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2012. In 2017, she opened the Yoyoi Kusama Museum in Tokyo near her studio and the psychiatric hospital where she has voluntarily lived since 1977.

Clars’ Fine Jewelry & Timepieces department had a successful year, offering beautiful diamond, colored gemstone, gold and signed jewelry and timepieces spanning antique to contemporary. The sales included essential everyday luxury as well as fine and important jewelry and timepieces.

Spring Highlights

The Fine Jewelry & Timepieces department’s crowning lot of 2022 was a Rolex Daytona chronograph wristwatch, which realized $75,000 at the Spring Fine Jewelry & Timepieces Sale. The Rolex Daytona timepiece was designed to meet the needs of racecar drivers, allowing them to gauge average speed and track elapsed time.

The February Fine Jewelry & Timepieces Auction was headlined by a diamond and eighteen karat white gold strap bracelet — an unforgettable Valentine’s Day gift — which sold for $37,500.

Summer Highlights

Ruby and gold statement necklaces proved to be popular jewelry staples for clients in Clars’ Summer auctions.

Highlights that stood out include a ruby and twenty-two karat gold necklace, which sold for $5,312.50, and a Southeast Asian ruby and high karat gold necklace, which sold for $9,375.

Fall Highlights

A striking blue moonstone and diamond earring and necklace suite realized $8,268.75 in the September auction. Both pieces are comprised of oval cabochon blue moonstones accented by single-cut diamonds.

Clars’ Fine Collectors Auction in November showcased numerous beautiful jewelry lots. One highlight that stood out in particular was a Burle Marx opal and eighteen karat gold brooch, which sold for $4,687.50.

Winter Highlights

Clars’ Winter Fine Jewelry & Timepieces Auction rounded out the 2022 year with numerous noteworthy sales. Favorites of the sale include a diamond and white gold brooch and diamond ear clips by Van Cleef & Arpels.

Since its inception, nature has been a source of inspiration for Van Cleef & Arpels’ creations. In particular, floral motifs have been seen again and again in their pieces.

Another highlight of the Winter Fine Jewelry & Timepieces Auction was a stunning diamond ring designed as a round brilliant-cut diamond, which sold for $46,875.

The City Club of San Francisco is a landmark social and business club designed by the San Francisco architectural firm, Miller & Pflueger, under the direction of Timothy Pflueger (1892–1946).

The 11-story building housed the offices of brokers who worked on the trading floor of the adjacent San Francisco Stock Exchange. Pflueger was one of the first California architects to incorporate Classic European Modernism into his work. He commissioned a number of renowned artists and craftsmen to work on the Stock Exchange Tower, which is considered the finest example of interior art deco style in the city.

More than a business and social club, The City Club is a community of diverse and talented people who value leadership and believe in San Francisco character, spirit, and traditions. The City Club inspires business connection and friendships, community service, an appreciation of the arts, and the sharing of cultural and culinary experiences.

Clars Auction Gallery partnered with The City Club members for an evening of Cocktails, Conversation and Valuations on February 22, 2023. Members of The City Club brought art and collectibles and chatted with Clars’ specialists. This evening gave members an opportunity to ask questions which helped them learn a bit of history on their items and their value in the current collecting market. In addition to the hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and extraordinary views of San Francisco, the event was a night to remember.

2022 saw wonderful auction results at Clars, with outstanding Fine Art sales doing 42% of total sales for the fiscal year that wrapped in August.

Spring Highlights

Clars set a US auction record for the artist Loie Hollowell (American, b. 1983) with the sale of her 2017 painting, Point of Entry (Blood-Orange Moon Over Orange Sac), that soared above estimates of $400,000–$600,000 to sell for $1,050,000 on March 25 (all prices noted here include buyer’s premium).

Pieces by iconic artists such as Robert Longo (American, b. 1953), Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney, Wayne Thiebaud, Salvador Dali, Sol Lewitt and Richard Diebenkorn brought strong results for the sale as well. Especially noteworthy was Robert Longo’s lithograph, Gretchen, from 1984, which realized $59,375.

The second highest selling lot of the sale was a rare drawing by Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973) titled, Etudes VII (d’apres Manet). Many international bidders vied for the lot but in the end it sold to a buyer in San Francisco for $150,000.

Summer Highlights

Clars was pleased to establish the new, world auction record for Raimonds Staprans (American/Latvian, b. 1926) with the painting, Blue Boats, selling for $187,500. This beat the previous record held by Clars from September 2020 of $147,600.

Also of note was a rare collection of four works by Leonor Fini (French/Argentine, 1908–1996) that were offered at Clars Modern + Contemporary sale on June 17th. This combined collection sold for an astounding $250,625 with one particular painting, Zorniga, selling for $187,500.

Fall Highlights

Clars’ Fall Modern + Contemporary Art + Design sale on September 16th started off the season with impressive results having 230 lots achieve a little over $1.3 million in sales. Fine Art led the way with $1.1 million in sales with the highlight being Andy Warhol’s complete set of ten screenprints, Cowboys and Indians, selling for $503,750. Rick Unruh, Clars CEO, remarked, “Clars is definitely ‘moving up the ladder’ in being recognized internationally as one of the premier auction houses for Modern and Contemporary works. This past auction was our 3rd complete set of Warhols to be offered in the last 2 years — all with outstanding results.”

Another stellar performance in the sale is represented by several Pumpkin screenprints by Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1929) selling for a combined price of $108,750.

Winter Highlights

Clars’ Fine Collectors Auction rounded out the 2022 year with the sale of an iconic work from Tom Wesselmann’s series, Great American Nude, titled The Great American Nude #13 for $162,500. The work is an early example of the series, which he completed in 1973 with number #100. The work demonstrates the artist’s use of bold color and military imagery, along with his famous female nude form — the recurring subject throughout his career.

The story of Van Cleef & Arpels is one of precious love, all starting with the marriage of Estelle Arpels, daughter of a precious stones dealer, and Alfred Van Cleef, son of a lapidary.

What made the married couple so successful was their shared values of innovation, family life and passion for precious stones. In 1906, with the union of their two names, the Maison of Van Cleef & Arpels was established. In 1926, their daughter, Renée Puissant, became Artistic Director of the Maison. Her imaginative and distinct style paved the way for Van Cleef & Arpels to create unique pieces that are timeless to this day.

Since its inception, nature has been a source of inspiration for the Maison’s creations. In particular, floral motifs have been seen again and again in their pieces. This stylistic tradition dates back to the all-diamond clips of the 1920s and continues to appear in their contemporary jewelry pieces.

Pablo Picasso, known globally as one of the most important artists of the 20th century, was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and theatre designer.

In our February 2023 Important Modern + Contemporary Art Auction, Clars offered a rare ceramic plate by Picasso which caught the attention of many phone bidders.

During the 1940s, Picasso attended a pottery exhibition in the commune of Vallauris in the south of France. He was inspired by his experience to stay in the area, working at the Galerie Madoura as a prolific potter, creating over three thousand vases, plates, tiles, and other objects. Common themes in these ceramics are animals including bulls, birds, and fish, Roman and Greek mythology, and the human form.

The plate sold at Clars follows Picasso’s tradition of working with simplified lines and shapes to create a human face, or Visage as the ceramics are known, similar to the paintings made during his synthetic cubism and African-inspired periods. Picasso’s Madoura ceramics continue to grow in popularity due to their accessibility as well as their versatility as decorative objects.

Other Picasso Madoura ceramics that Clars has offered include two ceramic pitchers, titled Visage and Quatre Visage. Both pieces were both produced at the Madoura de Vallauris workshop in the 1950’s and have Picasso and Madoura stamped beneath.

The second highest selling lot from Clars’ March 2022 Modern + Contemporary Art + Design Auction, selling at $150,000, was a rare drawing by Picasso titled, Études VII (d’après Manet), from 1961. Well-documented in the artist’s catalogue raisonné, the lot had multiple international bidders, but in the end sold to a buyer in San Francisco.

At the same sale, a linocut by Picasso, titled Le Déjeuner Sur l’Herbe, d’après Manet II, achieved $16,250.

2022 saw wonderful auction results at Clars, with outstanding Asian Art sales throughout the year.

Winter Highlights

Starting off the year strong, Clars’ Asian Art department sold a pair of Chinese doucai enameled globular vases for $87,500 in January. Each vase is painted on the exterior with eight bats amidst stylized lotus petals all between ornate scrolling lotus and vine patterns.

Another highlight from the January sale is represented by the Chinese huanghuali corner leg table, which sold for $93,750. With small supply of wood, the availability of furniture made from it is limited. The highly figured, honey-hued wood has long been appreciated for its mountain peak and ghost face patterns. Huanghuali furniture can be incorporated into any type of decor to create a more traditional Chinese style in your home, or you can choose to mix and match with more contemporary decor.

Spring Highlights

A finely molded Dingyao bowl, featuring lotus and other aquatic plants, headlined Clars’ April Asian Art Auction. The beautiful piece did not disappoint, selling for $100,000. The Song dynasty bowl was acquired from the late Chingwah Lee Collection of San Francisco and sold at Sotheby’s Los Angeles Fine Oriental Art Sale on June 8th, 1981.

The furniture portion of the April sale was highlighted by a pair of 18th century huanghuali horseshoe-back armchairs. The armchairs feature decorative carved panels on the backs with auspicious floral groupings and mythical creatures. The armchairs were a sought after piece and ended up being the top lot of the sale, selling at $200,000.

Summer Highlights

Dozens of telephone bidders vyed for two Chinese imperial bronze ‘dragon’ vases. These vases soared well above estimate to realize a price of $245,000. Each features five-clawed dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls amid scrolling clouds in low relief. The precision and intricacy of the molding indicates the imperial origin, while the patina on the surface demonstrates the age.

Fall Highlights

A strong San Francisco Bay Area collection of archer’s rings led the Asian Art portion of Clars’ Fine Collectors Auction on November 20th. The sale included nearly 40 lots of imperial quality white jade, celadon jade, jadeite, agate, glass, enamel, and various organic material archer’s rings. The collector acquired this impressive collection throughout 1970s to 1990s from various important dealers and estates in the Bay Area, including Ching Wah Lee, Herb Newman, and Sandra Sakata, among others.

Clars is now seeking consignments for our upcoming Spring Fine Jewelry & Timepieces Auction. Schedule a private appointment with one of our Jewelry specialists and learn what your property is worth.

Fine Jewelry & Timepieces Valuation Day
Friday, February 17th | 10AM–2PM

*This event is by appointment only.

The market for signed and antique jewelry, as well as precious colored gemstones and timepieces is very strong. Schedule your private and confidential appointment now to speak to one of our Specialists to determine your jewelry’s auction potential.

Clars’ February 9th Important Winter Modern + Contemporary Art Auction will feature a selection of artwork from an array of international artists.

A featured highlight this month is a watercolor on paper by influential German-Swiss artist Paul Klee. This piece, titled Fragment of a Mural (Fragment einer Wandmalerei), shows an abstract image that is left to the viewer to decipher. Klee is known for the use of geometric forms in his work — often building his arrangements with triangles and rectangles — but here we see an unrecognizable object, made more mysterious by the title identifying it as just one section from a larger composition. Klee is perhaps even better known for his innovative take on color theory. The blending of purple into red into gray tones seen in this work illustrates Klee’s opinion that small sections of color could be unified to create a harmonious visual. Furthermore, during his time as an instructor at the Bauhaus, Klee taught as a master of stained glass, often using smoking techniques to color pieces of glass. The muted tones in this watercolor echo the hazy, blended hues that would result from smoking glass. The work on paper is estimated at $100,000–$150,000.

Also included in the sale this month is a work on paper, titled Green Hill, by American artist, Mark Tobey. As a founder of the Northwest School in Seattle, Washington, Tobey imbued in his peers an appreciation of East Asian culture — the effects of which are visible in Green Hill, with its muted color palette echoing Shan Shui landscapes, and an expressionist style that mimics calligraphy. The misty atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest was a driving influence on Tobey, who used earthy tones to illustrate Green Hill, with the green of the hill obscured almost completely by a heavy fog against a sepia sky. Green Hill is dated 1957, the year before Tobey became the second American artist to win the International Grand Prize at the 1958 Venice Biennale. The work is estimated at $30,000–$50,000.

Another important work in the February sale is a steel sculpture by acclaimed Mexican artist, Rufino Tamayo. The piece depicts two figures, likely one male and one female based on their clothing, standing with hands overlapped in an uncomplicated embrace. The stylized figures are reminiscent of the simplified figures seen in well-known Tamayo paintings like Tres Personajes, with dominant geometric lines replacing the naturalistic curves of the human body. The sculpture shows the figures’ bodies as rectangles, with semicircle arms and circular hands. The male figure’s legs and female figure’s skirt are triangular, and the base is a narrow rectangular platform. The gray patina of the metallic material is consistent throughout and recalls the stone and clay sculptures of the Zapotec, an indigenous Pre-Colombian culture from whom Tamayo claimed both heritage and inspiration. The work is estimated at $70,000–$100,000.

Next featured in the February sale is the Makemono lithograph scroll by Catalan painter and sculptor, Joan Miró, created circa 1956. Considered a major figure in the Surrealist family, Miró uses this color-printed Chanton silk scroll to marry a traditional East Asian medium with his “automatism” technique, a method of revealing an individual’s psyche through spontaneous drawing and painting. Makemono presents form and color before narrative, showing abstract human figures interspersed with birds, eyes, and nonobjective forms derived purely from the artist’s imagination. From an edition of only 50, the vibrant scroll is anchored by wooden batons on each of the two ends and includes its original carved and painted wood box. The scroll is estimated at $20,000–$30,000.

Other notable artworks to be offered in the sale include prints by Yayoi Kusama, a ceramic plate by Pablo Picasso, and a painting by Guy Anderson.

American artist Tom Wesselmann began his career in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, later moving to New York City to teach art, where his creativity blossomed, and he began his Great American Nude series.

For over a decade, Wesselmann added to the series, which consisted of works both small and large depicting the nude female form in a variety of poses, and always surrounded by objects familiar to his American audience, including ice cream sundaes, radiators, and Camel cigarettes, to name a few. These elements in Wesselmann’s work, which were sometimes collaged from photographs or painted by the artist himself, led many to include him in the burgeoning Pop Art movement of the 1960s.

Wesselmann himself rejected this label, saying he utilized the objects in his compositions not to make a statement on consumerism, but because of his interest in the aesthetics of the everyday. Indeed, the works in Wesselmann’s Great American Nude series show Coca-Cola bottles, presidential portraits, and rotary telephones decorating the background of each room; objects of American mundanity, juxtaposed with the playful and dynamic nude figures for which the artist is known.