From the Estate of Vanna & N. Lee Lacy
Palm Springs, CA

  • Estate Spotlight
  • Stories & News

Clars is delighted to be offering the Collection of Vanna and N. Lee Lacy on Friday, July 14th in our Tribal Arts, Interiors, Art & Jewelry Auction.

In the 1960s, the wunderkind Hollywood producer, N. Lee Lacy, fell in love with the African, Oceanic, Pre-Columbian, and other Tribal Arts that he was seeing in galleries and auction houses in Paris, Brussels, and London (he had a home in London as a base). His uncommon creativity, writing for and producing TV series and iconic TV ads (winning Best Of The Film Festival awards in Cannes, Venice, London, and NYC), led to him have international offices with 40 writers working for his production company, which he headquartered in Hollywood.


A Bakota reliquary, Gabon, raised on stand, 22.5″h (overall); 20.5″h.
A Bakota reliquary, Gabon, raised on stand, 22.5″h (overall); 20.5″h (figure).
Sold: $8,820
An Olmec figure of a baby, 9″h.
An Olmec figure of a baby, 9″h.
Sold: $6,930

Lacy always collected tribal art, with Hollywood presenting buying opportunities in Pre-Columbian works in the 1960s and African works in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the 1960s and 1970s, Lacy also bought from auctions in London, NY, and Paris and at galleries in those cities and Brussels, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.


Chinese Han Dynasty Cast Bronze Covered Ding Vessel.
Chinese Han Dynasty Cast Bronze Covered Ding Vessel.
Sold: $1,890

Lee married Vanna Warmack Lacy 35 years ago. Together they fell in love with Oceanic Art, spurred by several voyages to the South Seas accompanying their friend, Caroline Yacoe. Yacoe is an Oceanic scholar, lecturer, author, art collector/dealer, and documentary filmmaker specializing in recording traditional ceremonies and cultures on remote Pacific Islands. This was also a prime period for acquiring authentic, old Indonesian pieces being brought to California by prescient dealers.


An exceptionally dynamic figural door, Toradja, Indonesia Sulawesi Island.
An exceptionally dynamic figural door, Toradja, Indonesia Sulawesi Island.
Sold: $20,160

Lastly, while producing and creating films in Hollywood and investing in property and living in Beverly Hills, the Lacy’s opened a gallery on the famed Melrose Place (which became the name of a hugely popular TV series) showing paintings and sculptures of modern and contemporary artists. Vanna was the Lacy Gallery’s Director. After a successful run of more than a decade, the Lacy’s retired their gallery. The paintings and sculptures they had most loved personally, plus their mostly decades-old tribal collections, resided with them in their Beverly Hills and then their Palm Springs home until June when it was time to move themselves and their art collections along.

By Dave DeRoche, Guest Curator.

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Property from the Collection of Lila Mae Azad

This April we are honored to present the collection of Lila Mae Azad — a woman whose devotion to the arts lives on through her legacy.

  • Estate Spotlight
  • Stories & News

Effortless Sophistication in Motion

Our Modern Design section of the April 18th auction will feature a sculptural Alvar Aalto bentwood tea trolley.

  • Design
  • Stories & News

Abstract & Rooted in Tradition — Seasons Page

The contemporary Asian section of our April 18th auction will feature important work by Chuang Che, a Chinese-American abstract artist.

  • Asian Art
  • Stories & News

Sculptural, Iconic, and Effortlessly Modern

This April 18th we will offer pair of Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Swan chairs — sculptural, iconic, and effortlessly modern.

  • Design
  • Stories & News

Imperial Elegance at Auction

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

Pawn Stars featuring Clars’ Deric Torres

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

Designer Spotlight: Philip & Kelvin LaVerne

  • Designer Spotlight
  • Modern + Contemporary

Philip and Kelvin LaVerne were a father son furniture making team who worked out of New York. They made works in pewter and bronze and opened their showroom in the 1960s on East 57th street.

Their earlier works focused on mythology and antiquities from across the globe, and the pair experimented with chemical reactions to create a patinated effect reminiscent of antiquities.


Philip and Kelvin Laverne, “Marriage Whirl” Table.
Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, “Marriage Whirl” Table.
Sold: $12,600

The LaVerne’s furniture pieces, including the “Marriage Whirl” table, have become highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts of mid-century modern design. The intricate Eastern motif in the “Marriage Whirl” table depicts an ancient ceremony of great happiness. It was designed in patinated bronze and pewter with hand-painted polychrome enamels.


Philip and Kelvin Laverne, Fantasia Coffee Table.
Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, Fantasia Coffee Table.
Sold: $7,500

The LaVerne’s works were influential during the mid-20th century and continue to be admired and collected today for their artistic expression and innovative approach to furniture design.


Philip and Kevin LaVerne, Eternal Forest coffee table. Sold: $22,500
Philip and Kevin LaVerne, Eternal Forest coffee table.
Sold: $22,500

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Globe Trotting in Style: French Steamer Trunks

Designer French steamer trunks have been collected by both aficionados and novice collectors alike for decades, but what makes them so collectible?

  • Designer Spotlight
  • Furniture & Decorative Arts

Modern & Contemporary Artists' Spotlight

Two of our modern and contemporary highlights this November come from American artists, Jim Dine and Brian Alfred, who draw inspiration from their surroundings in very different ways.

  • Artist Spotlight
  • Modern + Contemporary

Craftsmanship in the Realm of Analog and Digital
Nov. 20th, 1 PM PST

Clars in collaboration with exhibited.at is honored to host the discussion: Craftsmanship in the Realm of Analog and Digital on November 20th, 1 PM PST.

  • Auction
  • Modern + Contemporary

Designer Spotlight: Niamh Barry

Niamh Barry is a distinguished Irish artist and designer celebrated for her innovative light fixtures that seamlessly fuse exceptional craftsmanship.

  • Designer Spotlight
  • Stories & News

Artist Spotlight: Roy Lichtenstein

Lichtenstein was one of the most prominent figures of the Pop Art movement — most known for his comic strip-inspired paintings, prints, and sculptures.

  • Artist Spotlight
  • Modern + Contemporary

Artists to Watch: California

With this inaugural auction, we take great pride in introducing ten esteemed artists who persistently enrich the tapestry of California art.

  • Auction
  • Modern + Contemporary