Summer Modern + Contemporary Art Highlights

  • Auction
  • Modern + Contemporary

This June 15th at Clars Auction Gallery, we are excited to offer a number of excellent pieces by esteemed artists throughout the Modern and Contemporary periods.

First featured is a photo-collage by influential English artist, David Hockney. Titled Gregory Watching the Snowfall, Kyoto, February 21st, 1983, the arrangement of violet-toned photographs depicts Hockney’s partner, assistant, and frequent model, Gregory Evans, lying in bed and looking out the window of a Japanese washitsu at the garden outside.


David Hockney, Gregory Watching the Snowfall, Kyoto, Feb. 21st 1983
David Hockney (British, b. 1937), Gregory Watching the Snowfall, Kyoto, Feb. 21st 1983, 1983, photograph collage on paper, 46.6″ x 43.6″.
Estimate: $25,000–$35,000
Louis Valtat Fraises
Louis Valtat (French, 1869–1952), Fraises, circa 1902, oil on board, 10.75″ x 13.5″.
Estimate: $20,000–$30,000

Another highlight in the June sale is an oil on board painting by French Fauve artist, Louis Valtat. The work, titled Fraises, depicts a cluster of bright red strawberries on a deep green lettuce leaf. Valtat’s technique blends the color-forward elements of Fauvism with the expressive brushwork of Impressionism to create a sense of movement in a traditional still-life composition.


Jasper Johns, Flag (Moratorium).
Jasper Johns (American, b. 1930), Flag (Moratorium), 1969, offset lithograph in colors, edition 97/300, 17″ x 26″.
Estimate: $15,000–$20,000

Lastly, we are presenting a signed multiple by American Neo-Dadaist, Jasper Johns. Titled Flag (Moratorium), the print is a rendering of perhaps Johns’ most well-known subject: the American flag. This work was made to commemorate the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations that took place in 1969. The symbolic use of orange and camouflage-green tones, along with a white “bullet hole” in the center of the image, is meant to highlight the violence that occurred throughout the controversial war.


Paul Klee, Fragment einer Wandmalerei.
Paul Klee (German, 1879–1940), Fragment einer Wandmalerei (Fragment of a Mural Painting), 1933, watercolor and titanium white glue on paper laid down on cardboard, 7.5″ x 9.75″.
Estimate: $50,000–$70,000
Alecos Fassianos, Figure in Blue.
Alecos Fassianos (Greek, 1935–2022), Figure in Blue, 1963, oil on canvas, 39″ x 51.75″.
Estimate: $15,000–$20,000

This sale will also offer additional important works by renowned artists such as Rafael Coronel, Brett Weston, Milton Reskin, Wayne Thiebaud, and Hunt Slonem.


Brett Weston, White Sands, 1949.
Brett Weston (American, 1911–1993), White Sands, 1949, portfolio of twelve (12) gelatin silver prints, 7.75″ x 9.5″.
Estimate: $15,000–$20,000
Gunther Gerzso, Eleysis III.
Gunther Gerzso (Mexican, 1915–2000), Eleysis III, 1961, oil on canvas affixed to board, 17″ x 12.75″.
Estimate: $12,000–$18,000
Rafael Coronel, <em>Gudelia</em>.
Rafael Coronel (Mexican, 1932–2019), Gudelia, 1961, oil on board, 40.5″ x 30.5″.
Estimate: $10,000–$15,000
March Avery, Resting Nude.
March Avery (American, b. 1932), Resting Nude, 1989, oil on canvas, 18.25″ x 42.25″.
Estimate: $10,000–$15,000
Brett Weston, Abstractions II.
Brett Weston (American, 1911–1993), Abstractions II, 1927–1980, portfolio of twenty (20) gelatin silver prints, 10.75″ x 13.75″.
Estimate: $10,000–$15,000
Franz Hagenauer, Male and Female Busts.
(lot of 2) Franz Hagenauer (Austrian, 1906–1986), Male and Female Busts, circa 1935, stainless steel sculptures.
Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
Wayne Thiebaud, Portrait of Jean Lee Porter.
Wayne Thiebaud (American, 1920–2011), Portrait of Jean Lee Porter, 1951/52, oil on canvas/board, 16″ x 12″.
Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
Hunt Slonem, <em>Untitled</em>.
Hunt Slonem (American, b. 1951), Untitled, 2014, oil on wood panel, 24″ x 20″.
Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
Marcel Dyf, Untitled (Still Life with Flowers).
Marcel Dyf (French, 1899–1985), Untitled (Still Life with Flowers), 1969, oil on canvas, 28.75″ x 23.5″.
Estimate: $7,000–$10,000
Salvador Dali, Le Decameron.
Salvador Dali (Spanish/1904–1989), Le Decameron, 1972, portfolio of ten (10) drypoint etchings, 18.5″ x 13.5″.
Estimate: $7,000–$10,000
Bill Brandt, London (Nude with Bent Elbow).
Bill Brandt (British, 1904–1983), London (Nude with Bent Elbow), 1952, gelatin silver print, 13.5″ x 11.5″.
Estimate: $6,000–$9,000
Nathan Oliveira, Angel Rocker.
Nathan Oliveira (American, 1928–2010), Angel Rocker, 2005, color sugar lift aquatint and drypoint etching, 44.5″ x 35.25″.
Estimate: $6,000–$9,000
Elizabeth Catlett, Betye Saar, Erique Chagoya, Rupert Garcia, Raymond Saunders, Freedom or Slavery: The Paul Robeson Portfolio.
Freedom or Slavery: The Paul Robeson Portfolio, 1998, a portfolio of fourteen (14) screenprints, including works by Elizabeth Catlett, Betye Saar, Erique Chagoya, Rupert Garcia, Raymond Saunders, 25.25″ x 20″.
Estimate: $5,000–$7,000
Squeak Carnwath, Not Fact.
Squeak Carnwath (American, b. 1947), Not Fact, 1996, oil and alkyd on canvas, 55″ x 55″.
Estimate: $5,000–$7,000
Bidding for Clars’ June 15th, 2023 auction is available by phone, absentee bid, live online at Live.Clars.com and through Liveauctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. For more information about this auction, please contact [email protected].

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