Clars’ Important Holiday Fine Art Auction on December 18th presents an exceptional selection of artworks by celebrated artists working across a wide range of periods and styles.

Among the premier highlights is an oil on canvas by Bay Area favorite, Raimonds Staprans (American/Latvian, b. 1926), an artist with whom Clars has consistently achieved strong results. Staprans is renowned for his vivid palette and distinctive use of line — qualities that are fully evident in Still Life with the Ugly Hockney Vase #2. The off-white vase rests on a similarly colored surface set against a striking red ground, while delicate lines in orange, violet, and sky blue trace the object’s edges and heighten its dimensionality. Selected for the cover of the 2006 exhibition catalog for Staprans’ retrospective at the Latvian National Museum, the painting exemplifies the artist’s ability to reinvigorate traditional still-life subjects through bold color and decisive brushwork. This work is estimated at $150,000–$200,000.

Another major feature of the December sale is a mixed-media work on canvas by Los Angeles based artist Mark Bradford (American, b. 1961). Bradford’s practice is deeply informed by his upbringing in South Los Angeles and by his explorations of race, gender, and identity — as well as the influence of his mother’s hair salon — where he worked after high school. Many of his materials originate in that environment, including hair dye and the end papers used in perm treatments. The December offering, painted in soft green hues, is layered with sheets of end paper in various states of translucency, some singed to a deep brown. The staggered layers create surprising depth and texture across the surface. Bradford’s work is widely admired and held in prominent collections, and he has received national recognition, including his inclusion in Time Magazine’s 2021 list of the most influential people and the National Medal of Arts in 2023. This untitled piece carries an estimate of $20,000–$30,000.

A further highlight is a ceramic plate by Spanish modernist Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), titled Visage de Femme and dating to 1953 during his collaboration with the Madoura Pottery studio in Vallauris, France. Picasso’s ceramics remain highly desirable as accessible, yet significant examples of his contributions to twentieth-century art. This piece features the Cubist depiction of a woman’s face, rendered in white, cyan, and blue on a black ground, with a bold white line forming the nose above a slight smile and a beaded necklace. The plate is estimated at $15,000–$20,000.

These marquee offerings are joined by additional works from artists such as Granville Redmond, Wayne Thiebaud, Jules Tavernier, Maynard Dixon, Thomas Hart Benton, and many more.

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.

A noteworthy piece in our Important Summer Fine Art Sale is a serigraph by American Pop art pioneer, Roy Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein was one of the most prominent figures to come out of the Pop Art movement and is most known for his comic strip-inspired paintings, prints, and sculptures.

The print featured in the June sale is titled Reverie and dates to 1965. Pictured is a young woman with blonde hair and a melancholy expression, holding a microphone while a speech bubble over her head reads the lyrics, “The melody haunts my reverie.” This lyric — taken from the song Stardust by Tin Pan Alley musicians Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish — was written in 1927 and popularized during the 1930s big band era. The retro feel of the imagery is characteristic of Lichtenstein’s work, as is the comic-style dot work, bold color, and thick, black lines. Reverie was created for a portfolio, titled 11 Pop Artists published by Original Editions, that included 2 other prints by the artist as well as prints by Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselman, and other major names in the Pop Art movement.

In addition to the aforementioned work, we are also pleased to offer abstract sculptures by Claire Falkenstein, a life-size bronze gown by Karen LaMonte, a suite of six bullfighting paintings by LeRoy Neiman, an abstract expressionist oil by Tancredi Parmeggiani, and much more in our Important Summer Fine Art Sale on June 20th.