OAKLAND, CALIF.- This June, Clars Auction Gallery presents a sale bursting with exceptional artwork from iconic creators. One of the most exciting pieces in this month’s sale is a never-before-sold oil on canvas by the world-renowned Spanish Surrealist, Salvador Dalí. Over the early to mid-twentieth century, Dalí established himself as perhaps the most celebrated Surrealist painter, famous for his instantly recognizable visual style and eccentric personality and antics. The painting featured in this month’s sale is titled “Portrait of Mrs. Luther Greene” and dates to 1942, the year of the artist’s first retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The portrait depicts the patron seated in the foreground, wrapped in a wine- red sheet, with her dark hair juxtaposed against olive skin. Behind her is a classic Dalíesque landscape, an otherworldly desert with smooth orange sand under a gradient green and blue sky. Two figures stand in the distance: one, a partially skeletonized angel with one wing intact and both arms cut at the shoulder, recalls antique marbles such as the Venus de Milo. An amorphous hill on the far right, dotted with buildings, resembles a forgotten ghost town in desolate terrain, and a small boat sits beached by the shore on the far left. This exemplary piece of Dalí’s catalog is accompanied by preliminary sketches done by the artist in preparation for the painting.

Another important piece in the June sale is a serigraph by American Pop Art pioneer Roy Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein is one of the most prominent figures of the Pop Art movement and is best known for his comic strip-inspired paintings, prints, and sculptures. The print featured in the June sale is titled “Reverie” and dates to 1965. It depicts 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 is from the song “Stardust” by Tin Pan Alley musicians Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish, 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, which included two other prints by the artist, as well as prints by Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, and other major names in the Pop Art movement.

A third highlight in the June auction is an oil on canvas painting by key Harlem Renaissance figure Aaron Douglas. Douglas is widely known for the murals he was commissioned to paint in high-profile locations, including several Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the Harlem YMCA, and one of his most acclaimed works, “Aspects of Negro Life,” at the New York Public Library in Harlem. Douglas worked with writers Alain Locke and W.E.B. Du Bois and had illustrations included in publications like Vanity Fair, the NAACP journal The Crisis, and Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life. Douglas developed a distinctive, graphic style that combined the aesthetic exploration of modernism with traditional African subject matter. He often used bold color and evocative light sources with leafy foliage and human figures in silhouette. These figures are sometimes depicted in an African village or tribal setting, dancing, holding spears, or traversing a jungle-like landscape. In other instances, figures are shown in American cityscapes, holding industrial tools with skyscrapers looming in the distance or playing brass instruments in bands. The work in our June sale shows three silhouetted human figures holding spears and chasing five bison-like animals through an abstracted environment that uses the interplay between color and light to mimic an earthly landscape while remaining nonobjective. Douglas’s approach marries the celebratory aspects of Harlem Renaissance figuration with an Orphism-inspired understanding of color theory, creating a composition in which movement and light become as intrinsic to the material as paint and canvas.

In addition to the aforementioned works in the June sale, 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 Parmigiani, and much more.

Jewelry, Furniture & Asian | June 21 at 9:30am Jewelry

Highlighted items include a diamond and platinum rivière necklace, estimated at $25,000-30,000; a diamond and platinum tennis bracelet, estimated at $15,000-20,000; an 18k gold Cartier wristwatch, estimated at $2,500-3,500; a Chopard diamond and 18k gold ‘Your Hour’ wristwatch, estimated at $4,000- 6,000; an antique aquamarine and 18k gold parure set, estimated at $6,000-8,000; and a Victorian citrine, diamond, enamel, and gold brooch, estimated at $3,000-5,000. We are also proud to represent a set of sapphire, diamond, and gold brooches designed by the renowned artist Salvador Dalí, never before seen on the second-hand market.

Furniture

The Friday sale features modern highlights from design masters such as Isamu Noguchi, Guido Faleschini, Hans Wegner, and Philip and Kelvin LaVerne. Other highlights include Pre-Columbian and other indigenous arts, sterling silver, musical instruments, fine porcelain and Bohemian glass, Persian and modern carpets.

Asian

The Asian Art department will offer a single-owner collection of Chinese archaic jade and hardstone carvings ranging from bi discs to pendants and cong vessels. The highlight from this collection is a jade ‘dragon’ disc, possibly dated to the Eastern Zhou period (771-256 BCE). Another highlight is a Chinese folding screen inset with sixteen finely decorated underglaze blue porcelain plaques featuring various animals from the Republic period (1911-1949). Rounding out the sale is a sizable collection of Chinese porcelain jars and vases from the Estate of Reynold Tom of Piedmont, California.

The Warehouse | June 22 at 9:30am

Clars’ The Warehouse auction is set to showcase an eclectic range of art, prints, and photographs. Each month, we select paintings, prints, and sculptures in diverse styles from all over the world to offer with accessible estimates. The Warehouse boasts an accessibly priced collection that encompasses modern and antique furniture and décor, silver, porcelain, glass, fashion, collectible toys, books, and indigenous arts. The Asian Art Department presents a meticulously curated collection in our March Warehouse auction, spanning Japanese woodblock prints, ceramics, folding screens, and various decorative pieces. Additionally, our selection includes decorative Chinese furniture, jade and hardstone carvings, and ceramics from various periods.