On May 15th in our Modern + Contemporary Fine Art Auction, we are thrilled to showcase an exceptional array of artwork from masters like Raimonds Staprans, Wayne Thiebaud, Joan Brown, Helen Frankenthaler, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso, and much more. The auction will begin at 10 AM PDT. Preview May 14th, 1–5 PM PDT.
Raimonds Staprans (American/Latvian, b. 1926), The Mid Summer Drop-Leaf Table, 1993, oil on canvas, 48″ x 42″. Estimate: $60,000–$90,000
Wayne Thiebaud (American, 1920–2021), Dark Cake, 1983, woodcut in colors on Tosa Koza paper, 15″ x 17.5″. Estimate: $20,000–$30,000
Dia al-Azzawi (Iraqi, b. 1939), Sleeping Bird, 1981, oil on canvas, 47.25″ x 39.38″ (120 x 100 cm). Estimate: $15,000–$20,000
Wayne Thiebaud (American, 1920–2021), Hill Street, 1987, woodcut in colors, 37″ x 24″. Estimate: $15,000–$20,000
Ed Mell (American, b. 1942), Side Stepper, bronze sculpture with black and verdigris patina, 20″ x 20″. Estimate: $16,000–$18,000
Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893–1983), Le Grand Ordinateur, 1969, etching, aquatint and carborundum on Arches wove paper, 41.38″ x 26.88″. Estimate: $12,000–$18,000 (1 of 3 to be offered)
Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923–1997), Sunrise, 1965, offset lithograph in colors, 17.25″ x 23.25″. Estimate: $10,000–$15,000
Joan Brown (American, 1938–1990), Mary Julia #32, 1976, acrylic and graphite on paper, 36″ x 24″. Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987), Flowers (Hand-Colored), 1974, screenprint with hand coloring, 40.5″ x 27″. Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
Joan Brown (American, 1938–1990), Mary Julia #33, 1976, acrylic, charcoal, and graphite on paper, 36″ x 24″. Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
Hunt Slonem (American, b. 1951), Whisper, 2010, oil on canvas, 24″ x 24″. Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist; Private collection, Gary Danko, San Francisco, CA. Estimate: $7,000–$10,000
Helen Frankenthaler (American, 1928–2011), May 26 Backwards, 1961, color lithograph on Crisbrook British handmade buff paper, 17.2″ x 14.2″. Estimate: $6,000–$9,000
Louise Nevelson (American, 1899–1988), Full Moon, 1980, black cast polyester resin multiple, 18.5″ x 18.5″ x 2″. Estimate: $6,000–$9,000
Hunt Slonem (American, b. 1951), Billie, 2006, oil on canvas, 18″ x 24″. Provenance: Heriard-Cimino Gallery, New Orleans, LA; Private collection, Gary Danko, San Francisco, CA. Estimate: $6,000–$9,000
Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973), Chouette aux Tâches, 1951, white earthenware ceramic vase with colored engobe and glaze, 11.75″ x 8.5″ x 5.5″. Estimate: $6,000–$9,000
Christopher Brown (American, b. 1951), Fire in the Woods, 1984, oil on canvas, 72″ x 96″. Estimate: $5,000–$7,000
Bidding for Clars’ May auctions is available by phone, absentee bid, live online at Live.Clars.com and through Liveauctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Clars Auctions is located at 5644 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609. Clars Auctions is based in Oakland (CA) and is the largest full-service auction gallery in the Western United States. Clars Auctions has been the chosen auction gallery of a number of institutions and distinguished private collectors across the country, including the Richard Mellon Scaife Estate, the Thomas J. Perkins Estate and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC). In the last 5 years, Clars Auctions has sold well over $500,000,000 of Fine Art, Furnishings, Jewelry, Vehicles and Collectibles and has set multiple new world auction records. Follow Clars on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
The sale offers a rare glimpse into the creative spirit of a connoisseur whose eye for the unusual and the beautiful resulted in a truly one-of-a-kind collection.
Our diverse auctions bring together global craftsmanship, luxury design, and fine artistic traditions.
Auction
Highlights
Effortless Sophistication in Motion
Design
Stories & News
The Furniture & Decorative Arts portion of the April 18th auction will feature an impressive selection pieces. Featured is a sculptural Alvar Aalto bentwood tea trolley.
Crafted by Finnish modernist master Alvar Aalto, this elegant tea trolley exemplifies his signature minimalist form. Aalto’s visionary approach to design brought warmth and humanity to modernism — balancing clean lines with natural materials.
Learn more about the Alvar Aalto tea trolley to be offered April 18th!
This piece is not only functional — it’s a sculptural icon of 20th-century design.
An Alvar Aalto bentwood tea trolley. Estimate: $2,500–$3,500
Clars’ very own appraiser Deric Torres helped a customer who thought she had a rare Oscar Bach Hall telephone table worth a fortune.
Furniture & Decorative Arts
Stories & News
Sculptural, Iconic, and Effortlessly Modern
Design
Stories & News
This April 18th we will offer pair of Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Swan chairs — sculptural, iconic, and effortlessly modern.
Designed in 1958 for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, the Swan chair is one of Arne Jacobsen’s most celebrated works. A master of Danish modernism, Jacobsen blended form and function with striking elegance. His designs, including the Egg and Swan chairs, continue to shape interiors worldwide.
Learn more about these iconic chairs to be offered April 18th!
This pair, produced by Fritz Hansen, represents the enduring legacy of Scandinavian design — minimalist, organic, and timeless. Offered at an estimate of $1,200–$1,500, these iconic chairs will be sure to enhance any space.
A pair of Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Swan chairs. Estimate: $1,200–$1,500
Clars’ very own appraiser Deric Torres helped a customer who thought she had a rare Oscar Bach Hall telephone table worth a fortune.
Furniture & Decorative Arts
Stories & News
Imperial Elegance at Auction
Asian Art
Stories & News
This season, we will introduce a series of selected embroidery pieces, with the highlight being an 18th-century Qing dynasty imperial yellow satin brocade robe, chuba with gold dragon patterns among colorful clouds.
From the end of the Tang dynasty, China’s relationship with Tibet evolved with continuous political and religious exchanges during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, sending precious court-manufactured silk fabrics to Tibet. Initially reserved for the imperial court, these fabrics later became significant gifts for Tibetan nobility and high-ranking monks. In the 18th century, the Qing court custom-made luxurious silk garments for Buddhist ceremonies, granting many dragon robes, which gradually became traditional attire for Tibetan nobility.
Learn more the elegant imperial yellow satin brocade robe to be offered April 18th!
This Chuba-style robe was custom-made in Tibet from 18th-century Chinese yellow ground brocade, adorned with a five-clawed golden dragon clutching a fiery pearl amidst colorful clouds in pink, blue, green, and ochre, with a terrestrial map motif at the hem. The collar and trim are in pale blue silk depicting original wave-like edges, measuring 55 inches in height and 70 inches in width. This robe not only showcases the exquisite craftsmanship of the Qing court but also serves as an important physical testament to the historical exchanges between China and Tibet.
An Imperial yellow satin brocade robe, chuba. Estimate: $30,000–$50,000
This April 18th we will offer pair of Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Swan chairs — sculptural, iconic, and effortlessly modern.
Design
Stories & News
Rare Northern Baroque Carved Altar Table
Furniture & Decorative Arts
Stories & News
The Furniture & Decorative Arts segment will feature a number of standout pieces in our March 21st auction.
One such piece is a rare Northern Baroque carved altar table with tabernacle, dating to the late 17th century, estimated at $8,000–$12,000. Fully carved with biblical reserves, this exquisite table highlights the exceptional craftsmanship of the period.
Learn more the rare Northern Baroque carved altar table to be offered March 21st!
A fine and rare Northern Baroque carved altar table with tabernacle, late 17th century, fully carved with biblical reserves. Provenance: Property from the collection of Santa Sabina Center, San Rafael, and the Sisters of St. Dominic. Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
This April, we will offer an elegant 18th-century Qing dynasty imperial yellow satin brocade robe, chuba with gold dragon patterns.
Asian Art
Stories & News
Eight Immortals Verte Globular Vase
Asian Art
Stories & News
The Asian Art department will showcase a range of rare and desirable items at our March 21st auction, including a 19th-century Chinese famille verte globular vase.
This exquisite vase, decorated with the legendary Eight Immortals, showcases exceptional craftsmanship and vibrant colors. Valued between $1,000–$1,500, it presents an opportunity for collectors to acquire a piece of Chinese cultural history.
Learn more the beautiful Chinese famille verte globular vase to be offered March 21st!
A Chinese famille verte reticulated globular vase. Estimate: $1,000–$1,500
This April 18th we will offer pair of Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Swan chairs — sculptural, iconic, and effortlessly modern.
Design
Stories & News
Artist Spotlight: Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel
Artist Spotlight
Fine Art
This March 21st at Clars Auctions, we will be featuring a curated assortment of artwork from a wide range of periods and locales.
From our own state of California, we have an oil on canvas by plein air painter Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel (American, 1876–1954). Wachtel was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and studied in Chicago before moving to California, where she studied under Scottish American master landscapist William Keith.
Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel beautifully captures the vibrant transformation of the leaves in the foothills of California.
Keith’s influence coupled with her new surroundings inspired Wachtel to move away from portraiture and embrace landscape painting, focusing her attention on the mountains, coasts, and foliage of southern California. The painting in this month’s sale is titled Autumn, Trabuco Mountains, California, (estimate: $8,000–$12,000) and depicts the leaves changing color amidst the peak on the border of Orange and Riverside Counties.
Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel (American, 1876–1954), Autumn, Trabuco Mountains, California, oil on canvas, 26″ x 30.5″. Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
Starting in our own state of California, we have an oil on canvas by plein air painter Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel (American, 1876–1954). Wachtel was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and studied in Chicago before moving to California, where she studied under Scottish American master landscapist William Keith.
Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel (American, 1876–1954), Autumn, Trabuco Mountains, California, oil on canvas, 26″ x 30.5″. Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
Keith’s influence coupled with her new surroundings inspired Wachtel to move away from portraiture and embrace landscape painting, focusing her attention on the mountains, coasts, and foliage of southern California. The painting in this month’s sale is titled Autumn, Trabuco Mountains, California, (estimate: $8,000–$12,000) and depicts the leaves changing color amidst the peak on the border of Orange and Riverside Counties.
Ambera Wellmann (Canadian, b. 1982), Cloud #7, oil on panel, 12″ x 16″. Provenance: Purchased from the artist. Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
Next in our selection of highlights this month is an oil on panel painting by contemporary Canadian artist Ambera Wellmann (Canadian, b. 1982). Wellmann is known for her surreal, collage-like painting techniques that evoke the work of earlier experimental painters like Francis Bacon and Max Ernst, often depicting hybrid bodies and intensely pigmented bacchanal-like scenes. These works regularly bring over $100,000 at auction, and Wellmann is currently represented by major contemporary art gallery Hauser & Wirth. In Wellmann’s early work, her mastery of blending color is apparent, as is her ability to access emotion in unexpected imagery. The piece featured at Clars this month is titled Cloud #7 (estimate: $8,000–$12,000) and dates to 2009. Wellmann presents a mass of gray and white clouds in varied tones moving against a cerulean sky while a hint of peachy, warm sun glows from behind the vapor.
Wolfgang Stiller (German, b. 1961), Matchsticks, 2017, wood, polyurethane, and paint sculpture, 64.5″ x 25.5″ x 12.75″. Estimate: $5,000–$7,000
A third feature in our March auction is a large-scale sculpture by German artist Wolfgang Stiller (German, b. 1961) titled Matchsticks (estimate: $5,000–$7,000). Stiller, whose first solo gallery show was in 1986, focuses his practice on objects and installations, often transforming familiar and ordinary items into uncanny and unsettling facsimiles. Among his ouvre are cast wax geodes, a recreation of a scientific laboratory inside a disused train car, and bronze baby heads fashioned into ginseng roots. The human head is a common point of inspiration for Stiller, and this is apparent in Matchsticks, in which three wood matchsticks are topped with hairless, male heads, burnt black and resembling medieval death masks in a kind of postmodern memento mori.
Thomas Hill (American, 1829–1908), Untitled (Woodland Scene with Trees and Deer), 1882, oil on canvas, 50″ x 24″. Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
Also among the featured highlights in our March auction are works by Thomas Hill, Maurice Braun, John Frederick Kensett, Tavakol Esmaili and much more.
Maurice Braun (American, 1877–1941), View of San Diego, oil on canvas, 16″ x 19.5″. Estimate: $6,000–$9,000
John Frederick Kensett (American, 1816–1872), Waterfall Near Tivoli, circa 1846, oil on canvas, 10″ x 8″. Estimate: $7,000–$10,000
Tavakol Esmaili (Iranian, 1923–1994), Untitled (Goat), iron sculpture, 12.5″ x 14″ x 9″. Estimate: $5,000–$7,000
Bidding for Clars’ March auctions is available by phone, absentee bid, live online at Live.Clars.com and through Liveauctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Clars Auctions is located at 5644 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609. Clars Auctions is based in Oakland (CA) and is the largest full-service auction gallery in the Western United States. Clars Auctions has been the chosen auction gallery of a number of institutions and distinguished private collectors across the country, including the Richard Mellon Scaife Estate, the Thomas J. Perkins Estate and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC). In the last 5 years, Clars Auctions has sold well over $500,000,000 of Fine Art, Furnishings, Jewelry, Vehicles and Collectibles and has set multiple new world auction records. Follow Clars on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
The sale offers a rare glimpse into the creative spirit of a connoisseur whose eye for the unusual and the beautiful resulted in a truly one-of-a-kind collection.
Our two-day auction event will showcase a stunning selection of rare and valuable items, with a special emphasis on Fine Asian Art.
Auction
Highlights
Artist Spotlight: Andy Warhol
Artist Spotlight
Modern + Contemporary Art
Our Modern + Contemporary Fine Art Auction on February 20th will feature many exceptional works by renowned artists. One of the standout pieces is Vote McGovern (1972), an iconic screenprint by Andy Warhol, estimated $30,000–$50,000.
This politically charged work from 1972 reinterprets a photograph of Richard Nixon, using a vivid color palette that references First Lady Pat Nixon’s dress. The unsettling portrait, created to support George McGovern’s presidential campaign, is a striking example of Warhol’s ability to blend art with political activism.
Andy Warhol blends art with political activism. Bid on this captivating work and much more on February 20th.
Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987), Vote McGovern, 1972, screenprint, 42″ x 42″. Estimate: $30,000–$50,000
Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel beautifully captures the vibrant transformation of the leaves in the foothills of California.
Artist Spotlight
Fine Art
Artist Spotlight: John Alexander
Artist Spotlight
Modern + Contemporary Art
Our Modern + Contemporary Fine Art Auction on February 20th will feature many exceptional works by renowned artists. One of the standout pieces is The Summit Conference (1986), an oil painting by John Alexander estimated at $30,000–$50,000.
Known for his atmospheric depictions of the Gulf Coast’s bayou landscapes, Alexander infuses his paintings with surrealist elements, such as skeletons in formal wear and masked figures. The work on offer features two baboons facing off against one another, with intense, expressive brushstrokes suggesting a deeper political commentary during the tense era of the Reykjavik Summit talks between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.
Learn more about the tense John Alexander work to be offered February 20th!
John Alexander (American, b. 1945), The Summit Conference, 1986, oil on canvas, 60″ x 66″. Estimate: $30,000–$50,000
