Clars – Fall Modern + Contemporary Art Auction
September 14th
www.clars.com
5644 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA 94609
888 339 7600 (toll free) 510 428 0100 (local)
info@clars.com

OAKLAND, CALIF. — Clars’ fine art department will present the firm’s fall Modern and contemporary art auction on September 14. The sale will offer an array of artworks spanning movements and decades, with notable works for all collectors. An important highlight to be offered in this sale is an oil on canvas by French artist Henry Moret (1856-1913) titled “Maisons à Volendam, Hollande.” Moret, while trained in the Neoclassical and Orientalist style at the École National des Beaux-Arts, took much inspiration from Impressionist artists and painted the western European countryside and coastlines, incorporating vibrant tones of blue, green and peachy orange. This work, completed in 1900, is a strong example of his bold palette choices and forceful and short brushstrokes, a style he credited much to Claude Monet ($50/70,000).

Also to be featured are two large-scale prints by American artist Robert Longo (b 1953). Longo, who has also worked in film and sculpture, is most known for his drawings and prints in the “Men in the Cities” series. These images depict models in stark black and white formal attire whose contorted poses convey dancing, fighting or other active and sometimes violent movements. Longo created these images by blowing up photographs of his friends to a larger-than-life scale and tracing his subjects to paper. These iconic artworks have appeared in film and television series, including American Psycho and Inventing Anna. Clars will be offering both “James” and “Tillman” at $15/20,000 each.
Yet another notable print to be offered is Andy Warhol’s (American, 1928–1987) “Sitting Bull” — a print originally intended for the “Cowboys and Indians” suite completed in 1986. The print, valued at $40/60,000, displays the iconic portrait of Sitting Bull, derived from an archival photo of the Sioux Chief. Warhol adds a flare of dramatized color in his Pop Art style to blend the understanding of historical and modern-day imagery.

The sale will also offer numerous photographs by renowned artists, such as Diane Arbus, Annie Leibovitz and David LaChapelle. One notable work in this category is a photograph by American artist and writer Peter Beard (1938-2020), most known for his images of Africa. Beard’s book The End of the Game, first published in 1965, documented the issues of starvation and poaching facing wildlife in Kenya, and brought the artist international attention. The photograph in this sale titled “Fayel Tall” depicts Kenyan model Fayel Tall posing in a mudcloth-style skirt covered in geometric designs. An inscription on the left of the photograph quotes a passage from The End of the Game describing a beautiful woman ($20/40,000).

This sale will also offer additional important works by renowned artists such as Nguyen Tu Nghiêm, Hunt Slonem, George Morrison, and Ruth Asawa, among others.
Day 2, September 15, is the Collectors auction at 9:30 am.
Asian art will feature various distinguished private collections of Chinese, Himalayan, South Indian and Southeast Asian religious works of art. One of the highlights is a Chinese Daoist painting of various religious figures. Also presented in this auction is an extensive collection of Chinese mixed metal ink boxes, silver accessories and miniature decorative objects.

The furniture and decorative arts portion of this sale will offer a selection of objects, including contemporary furniture from a St Helena winery, antique furniture and decorative arts from the Seventeenth through Twentieth Centuries, American carousel animals from Gustav Dentzel, Native American blankets and beadwork and Indian and Middle Eastern decorative arts.

The jewelry and timepieces department will offer a selection of diamond, colored gemstone and gold jewelry, in the September 15 sale. This sale features a variety of wardrobe staples to build up the foundation of one’s jewelry collection at accessible price points. A selection of diamond jewelry includes a diamond and 14K white gold band ($1,2/1,800), a pair of diamond stud earrings ($1,2/1,800), as well as a colorful gemstone selection, including a tanzanite, diamond and silver necklace ($2/3,000) and a pair of emerald, diamond and platinum-topped 18K gold ear clips ($1/1,500). Other wearable pieces are featured by makers like Seaman Schepps, in a gem-set and 18K gold “Chessman” brooch ($1,5/2,500); and an enamel and 18K gold bracelet by Buccellati ($10/15,000).

An original print by French-American naturalist John James Audubon, known for his illustrations of the birds of North America is an engraving titled “Canvas Backed Ducks” and dates to 1836. Also in the sale are an oil on canvas painting by Thomas Virgil Troyon Hill Jr depicting California’s Yosemite Valley and a still life oil on canvas painting by Luigi Lucioni.

Clars Auction Gallery is at 5644 Telegraph Avenue. For information, 510-428-0100 or www.clars.com.

1. Peter Beard, Fayel Tall, 1995, gelatin silver print, 23″ x 15.25″.
2. Hunt Slonem, Lories, 2012, oil on canvas, 40″ x 30″.
3. Henry Moret, Maisons a Volendam, Hollande, 1900, oil on canvas, 21.7″ x 28.7″.
4. George Morrison, Night Shadows. Red Rock Variation. Lake Superior Landscape, 1994, acrylic on canvas board, 5″ x 14″.
5. Andy Warhol, Sitting Bull from Cowboys and Indians, 1986, screenprint, 35.75″ x 35.75″.
6. Robert Longo, James, 1999, lithograph, 70″ x 40″.
7. Nguydn Tif Nghiem, Year of the Goat, 1967, lacquered panel, 27.5″ x 39.5″.
8. Roy Carruthers, Untitled (Three Figures), 1982, oil on canvas, 60″ x 48″.
9. Robert Longo, Tillman, 2000, lithograph, 70″ x 40″.
10. David LaChapelle, Anna Kournikova: The Court’s Free, 1998, c-print on Diasec, 60″ x 44.1″.
11. Annie Leibovitz, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, 1970, gelatin silver print, 11″ x 7.5″.
Clars Auctions | 5644 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA 94609
In Person + Online Bidding | Preview: September 13th, 1-5 PM PDT