Nathan Oliveira (American, 1928-2010), “Wing-Owl,” 1996, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, sold for $28,750.
OAKLAND, CALIF. — The October 15-16 auction at Clars featured a wide range of fine art, Asian Art, furniture, decorative arts and jewelry. Offered was a monumental work by Nathan Oliveira (American, 1928-2010) titled “Wing-Owl,” 1996, which caught the eye of a private collector and outperformed its estimate, selling for $28,750 within its $20/30,000 estimate. This large oil on canvas (50 by 42 inches) was part of a series the artist was commissioned to create for Stanford University in the 1990s. It was also featured in Architectural Digest magazine in December 1999.
A rare suite of prints by Richard Diebenkorn (American, 1922-1993) titled “Six Soft Ground Etchings” sold for an impressive $16,250. This was the first time the complete set was offered at auction.
In addition to the sale of prints and oil on canvas, Clars saw auction success from European and Japanese artists. These included two screenprints by Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b 1929), “A Pumpkin YB-D,” 2004, and “Pumpkin (RYSQ),” 1998, each sold for $12,700, Alicia Penalba (Argentinian, 1913-1982), “Equisse no. 8,” bronze sculpture sold for $12,065 and a piece by French artist Andre Eugene Dauchezs (1870-1943), “Landscape with Pine Trees,” sold for $10,625.
The Asian section is always a draw for collectors. Sold for $4,550 were a group of ten Chinese blue and white dishes, each featuring five stylized lotus and scrolling foliage, with several bearing a Guangxu mark, and a pair of carved hardwood armchairs, which sold for $5,000.
A featured jewelry highlight was a leaf-form 18K gold brooch from Buccellati, which sold for $1,680, more than three times the estimate; and an antique diamond and platinum-topped 14K gold brooch, which realized $2,080.
More than 11 percent of the bidders in the jewelry portion of the sale were first-time registrants, a clear sign that holiday buying is right around the corner.
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. Clars’ next auction will be conducted November 17-19. For information, 510-428-0100 or www.clars.com.
