Andy Warhol’s complete set of 10 screenprints, “Cowboys and Indians,” made $503,750, the highest result in the sale.
OAKLAND, CALIF. — Clars’ Fall Modern + Contemporary / Art + Design sale on September 16 started off the season with impressive results having 230 lots achieve a little more than $1.3 million. Fine art led the way with $1.1 million in sales, the highlight being Andy Warhol’s complete set of ten screenprints, “Cowboys and Indians,” selling for $503,750. Rick Unruh, Clars chief executive officer, 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 third complete set of Warhols to be offered in the last two 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 percent sell-through rate for the Fall Design sale, with more than 100 lots selling in excess of a total of $210,000. 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 Twentieth 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 that sold for $18,750, with a $6/9,000 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 its next Design auction on December 18 and is hopeful that the department will continue to see an upward trajectory in sales.
For information, 510-428-0100 or www.clars.com.
