OAKLAND, CALIF.- This June at Clars Auction Gallery, we are excited to offer several exceptional pieces by esteemed artists spanning the Modern and Contemporary periods. One of many highlights to be offered is a photo-collage by influential English artist David Hockney (British, b. 1937). Titled “Gregory Watching the Snowfall, Kyoto, February 21st, 1983,” the arrangement of violet-toned photographs depicts Hockney’s partner, assistant, and frequent model Gregory Evans lying in bed, gazing through the Japanese washitsu window at the garden outside. This work will be offered with an estimate of $25,000 - $35,000.

Another important work in the June sale is an oil on board painting by French Fauve artist Louis Valtat (French, 1869-1952). The work, titled “Fraises” and valued at $20,000 - $30,000, depicts a cluster of bright red strawberries on a deep green lettuce leaf. Valtat’s technique blends the color-forward elements of Fauvism with the expressive brushwork of Impressionism to create a sense of movement in a traditional still-life composition.

Also presented for auction, is a signed print multiple by American Neo-Dadaist Jasper Johns (American, b. 1930). Titled “Flag (Moratorium),” the print is a rendering of perhaps Johns’ most well-known subject: the American flag. This work was made to commemorate the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations that took place in 1969. Using symbolic orange and camouflage-green tones, the image also features a white “bullet hole” in the center, meant to highlight the violence that occurred throughout the controversial war. This print will be offered at $15,000 - $20,000.

Additional pieces will be offered in the sale including artworks by renowned artists such as Brett Weston, Bill Brandt, Rafael Coronel, March Avery, Alecos Fassianos, Marc Chagall, Wayne Thiebaud, Milton Resnick, Gunther Gerzso and many more!

Espenet Carpenter. Born in 1920, Arthur Espenet Carpenter was a self-taught furniture maker. He began with making wood turned bowls at his studio in San Francisco, in the late 1940s to early 1950s. However, by the mid-1950s, he had expanded to build custom furniture. Carpenter found that production was so busy that he felt disconnected from the furniture building process. In 1957, he decided that it was time to relocate to Bolinas, California, where he custom built his own house for his family. At his Bolinas studio, Espenet would create unique one-of-a-kind pieces for his clients, but would also create his most well-known iconic pieces such as the Wishbone armchair. Clars is excited to offer a suite of eight Wishbone chairs, including two armchairs, in it’s June 15th Design auction, with an auction estimate of $20,000-40,000. Also to be featured is a stunning dining table having five butterfly inlays, to be estimated at $10,000-15,000.

Another highlight by American designers in the auction is a Philip and Kelvin Laverne ‘Marriage Whirl’ table, estimated at $15,000-20,000.

Danish Modern will also have a prominent role in the auction, including a pair of Finn Juhl NV-45 chairs, estimated at $20,000-40,000, and a single chair at $8,000-12,000. The auction will also include an extensive Georg Jensen ‘Acorn’ pattern table service estimated at $5,000-7,000, an Illum Wikkelso Leather V-11 Sofa valued at $4,000-6,000.

The June 15th sale includes master craftsman from across genres and cultures. Clars is pleased to present a monumental Tony Hunt Totem pole, measuring 8’11”, and estimated at $4,000-6,000. A part of the Kwakwaka’wakw community in British Columbia, Hunt was born into a family of professional woodcarvers, and started training at an early age.

Also on offer will be an Alain Chevret table, estimated at $4,000-6,000.

The auction will include a host of other well-known names in design including Stan Bitters, Peter Voulkos, Gertrud and Otto Natzler, Frank Gehry, Mario Bellini, Liberty & Co, Tiffany Studios, among others.

There will be two custom roadsters from a single owner advanced collector in Sonoma Valley, CA. One is a 1930 Model A Tudor with a Chevrolet 350ci Vortex Turbo engine, estimated at $30,000-40,000, and the other is a 1927 Model T with a Ford 302ci 40 over engine with comp cam, valued at $20,000-30,000, both with custom paint and interiors, many added performance features making these hot rods very fast street legal machines.

Clars is also proud to represent select items from the personal collection of EGOT winning actress, the legendary Rita Moreno. Rita’s remarkable career ranges from music, film and dance, though she is arguably best known for her Academy-Award winning performance as Anita in the 1962 motion picture “West Side Story.” Later in her career she would work in both television and the stage. Items in the auction range from stage worn dresses by designers including Bob Mackie, scripts and awards, as well as fine artworks.

Bidding for Clars’ June 15 auction is available by phone, absentee bid, and live online at Live.Clars.com and through Liveauctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Clars Auction Gallery is located at 5644 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609.