“How do I know when I’ve finished a painting? It’s when that element of surprise is there” (Joan Brown).

Born on February 13, 1938, she was a San Francisco native. Brown studied at the California School of Fine Art and was a prominent member of the second generation Bay Area Figurative movement. In 1960, at the age of 22, Brown had her first museum show occur at the Whitney Biennial in New York, showcasing her abstract expressionist paintings. After divorcing her first husband, Bill Brown, she was married to Bay Area Figurative sculptor, Manuel Neri, from 1962 to 1966.

Brown taught introductory painting and drawing classes at the California School of Fine Arts and University of California, Berkeley. Later in her career, Brown became increasingly interested in public sculpture. On October 26, 1990, Brown travelled to India to help with the installation of one of her obelisks. Brown died along with others, when a concrete turret from the floor above collapsed while they were installing the mosaic obelisk.

The St. Francis Yacht Club invited Clars Auction Gallery to an evening of Cocktails, Clars & Valuations.

On November 30th, Clars specialists were on hand to offer on the spot valuations on antiques and collectibles. Rick Unruh, CEO and President, gave an informative talk on The Current Global Art Market, Andy Warhol, & the Do’s and Don’ts of Investing in Art.

Clars Auction Gallery gladly presents a fine Asian art auction on Sunday, November 20th, offering an exquisite selection of various paintings and calligraphy, archer’s rings, fine porcelains, and other categories of Asian works of art.

The paintings and calligraphy section will be led by a massive ink and color on paper hanging scroll by Wu Changshuo (1844–1927), titled Pine and Lingzhi, painted in 1921. As one of the world’s most acclaimed masters in Chinese painting and one of the leading masters of Shanghai School in the Republic period, Wu Changshuo is known for his style of merging calligraphy techniques into paintings, using the ink and brushstroke to demonstrate the conception rather than striving for realism, which greatly influenced the modern and contemporary Chinese art world. This massive piece at Clars presents a great example of Wu Changshuo’s iconic style of mixing traditional Chinese with Western sensibility to depict one of his favorite subject matters in his late years, pine trees.

The painting is from an important Southern California estate and will be offered with an estimate of $80,000–$120,000.

A strong San Francisco Bay Area collection of archer’s rings will lead the jade and miscellaneous section, presenting 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 the 1970s to 1990s from various important dealers and estates in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Ching Wah Lee, Herb Newman, and Sandra Sakata, among others.

Clars is proud to be sponsors of this upcoming Benefit Art Auction. Deric Torres, Senior Vice President of Clars, will be lending his auctioneering skills to keep the bidding competitive.

ICA San José – Saturday, November 5th
Doors Open: 4PM | Auction Begins: 5PM

The highly anticipated 2022 Annual Benefit Art Auction at the Institute of Contemporary Art San José offers unique opportunities for art enthusiasts and collectors to view and acquire contemporary artwork by rising stars and celebrated artists whose work reflects vibrant, eclectic styles and interests. Live auction guests can actively bid on a wide range of work including paintings, photography, works on paper, sculpture, wearables, and various mixed-media pieces by nearly 70 artists. All proceeds fund the ICA’s innovative exhibitions and educational programming, making sure that admission is always free for all, and expanding the ICA’s reach and impact.

Artists include: Kathy Aoki, Ray Beldner, Sarah Blaustein, Natalya Burd, Andrew Catanese, Kathryn Dunlevie, Ewa Gavrielov, Diane Andrews Hall, Pancho Jimenez, Kara Maria, Stephanie Metz, Christopher Martin, Humberto Ramirez, Byron Ryono, Beth Davila Waldman, Nathan Oliveira and more!

Complimentary champagne, wine, cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres and desserts will be served. Admission to the Live Auction — always a sellout event — is reserved for ticket holders.

The San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) is an energetic art space located in downtown San Jose dedicated to making contemporary art accessible and exciting to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Exhibitions are presented in three galleries that display the most current, relevant and often challenging art from the region, the nation and the world.

Clars Auction Gallery is proud to partner with PBS KVIE for this Valuation Day. For more information, please visit: https://www.kvie.org/events/antique-valuation-day/ or call the PBS KVIE Events team at 916-641-3663.

The October 16th auction at Clars will feature a wide range of Fine Art, Asian Art, Furniture and Decorative Arts, and Fine Jewelry.

Fine Art

Clars is pleased to offer a monumental work by Nathan Oliveira (American, 1928–2010) titled, Wing-Owl (1996), is estimated at $20,000–$30,000. This large oil on canvas (50″h x 42″w) was part of a series the artist was commissioned to create for Stanford University in the 1990s. It was also featured in Architectural Digest magazine in December 1999.

Offered in its entirety for the first time at auction, Richard Diebenkorn’s (American, 1922–1993), Six Soft Ground Etchings, a suite of six (6) prints, will be offered at $15,000–$25,000 on October 16th. This rare group of etchings comes from the collection of the assistant printmaker on this project published by Crown Point Press in 1978.

Furniture & Decorative Arts

There will be a fine selection of sterling silver in the auction including a large Wallace Grande Baroque sterling silver flatware service, 196 pieces, estimated at $5,000–$7,000.

Also to be offered is a Heyn carousel horse, valued at $2,000–$4,000, and an Hermes “Attelage” flatware set expected to sell for $1,500–$2,000.

Asian Art

The Asian Art Department gladly offers a large Chinese embroidered ‘dragon’ wall panel with an estimate of $3,000–$5,000. The panel features two pairs of dragons chasing a flaming pearl and one dragon in the center with a fierce expression. While the dragons symbolize royal status and power, the bats and Shou medallions surrounding them represent longevity and prosperity.

Fine Jewelry

The Fine Jewelry & Timepiece department at Clars Auction Gallery is excited to offer a selection of diamond, colored gemstone and gold jewelry, in their upcoming October 16th sale.

This sale features a variety of wardrobe staples to build up the foundation of your jewelry collection at accessible price points, including diamond jewelry such as lot 2014, a diamond and eighteen karat white gold bracelet, estimated at $3,000–$5,000; lot 2043, a diamond and eighteen karat white gold moi et toi ring, estimated at $2,000–$3,000. To be offered as well is is a colorful gemstone selection, including lot 2001, a Ceylon sapphire, diamond and eighteen karat white gold ring, estimated at $2,500–$3,500; and lot 2046, an emerald, diamond and fourteen karat gold ring, estimated at $2,000–$3,000. Other wearable pieces that will highlight your everyday life are featured by makers such as by Hammerman Brothers in lot 2105B, a gemstone and eighteen karat gold brooch, estimated at $1,000–$2,000; and lot 2105A, an eighteen karat gold brooch, by Buccellati, estimated at $300–$500.

The September 16 Modern + Contemporary Art + Design sale at Clars, totaled over $1.3M across 230 lots.

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 was several Pumpkin screenprints by Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1929) selling for a combined price of $108,750.

Clars Auction Gallery had a nearly 100% sell through rate for the Fall Design sale, with just above 100 lots selling for over $210,000 total.

Clients from across the country were vying for Design lots, with many items selling at or above the high estimate. Cristina Campion, Associate Director of 20th Century Design at Clars commented, “strong sales like this one really demonstrate that Clars is a recognized name among Design collectors across the United States.”

Top picks included an Angelo Mangiarotti ‘Eros’ Dining Table sold for $18,750, with a $6,000–$9,000 estimate. Other auction highlights include a suite of eight Mario Bellini Cab Chairs, Model 413, that brought $10,625, a set of Christian Liaigre Bazane Stools that sold for $9,375, a Charles and Ray Eames 670 and 671 chair and ottoman that realized $8,125, and a Vladimir Kagan Ondine Chair that commanded $8,125.

Clars is gearing up for it’s next Design auction on December 18th, and is hopeful that the department will continue to see an upward trajectory in sales.

Clars is excited to kick off the Fall Season with an exceptional Modern + Contemporary Fine Art sale on Friday, September 16th, 10AM PST.

The star lot will be the complete portfolio of Andy Warhol’s 1986 Cowboys and Indians. The ten screenprint series portrays a range of imagery representing both historical and mythical lore of the American West. They will be offered with an estimate of $500,000–$700,000. Additional highlights will include important works by Bay Area Figurative artists including Nathan Oliveira, Raimonds Staprans and Joan Brown, as well as works by KAWS, M.F Husain, Yayoi Kusama, and Richard Pettibone.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Clars’ upcoming Modern + Contemporary Art + Design Auction will be held Friday, September 16th, featuring an array of mid-century San Francisco Bay Area figurative works.

Highlights include the complete portfolio of Andy Warhol’s Cowboys and Indians — one of his last major works before his death — estimated at $500,000–$700,000. In this portfolio, Warhol portrays a range of images that represent both the history and constructed lore of the American West, pulled from reality and fiction. Warhol interspersed portraits of world-famous Americans with those of anonymous Native Americans in his ironic commentary on America’s collective mythology of the historic West.

Another exceptional highlight is an oil on panel from 1965 by Joan Brown (American, 1938–1990) titled Cucumber and Lemon estimated at $40,000–$60,000. This charming still life was gifted to fellow artist and friend, Ira Yeager (1938–2022), on his birthday.

Two later paintings by Nathan Oliveira (American, 1928–2010) from his Windhover series (commissioned by Stanford University in 1991) will be also offered at $12,000–$18,000 each.

The auction will feature a fine selection of Design items including a set of Mario Bellini Cab Chairs estimated at $10,000–$15,000, an Angelo Mangiarotti Eros Dining Table estimated at $6,000–$9,000, and a Vladimir Kagan Couture Sloane II sofa estimated at $6,000–$9,000.

There will be other noteworthy Designers in the auction including ceramicists such as James Lovera, Antonio Prieto and Lagardo Tackett, as well as Danish Modern including Eric Hansen, Arne Iversen, Johannes Andersen, Peter Hvidt, and American and Italian Modern such as Charles and Ray Eames, Christian Liaigre, among others.