SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- The Period Art & Design auction at Bonhams, June 24, will present special selections of Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary art and photography, aimed toward both introductory and seasoned collectors. Offerings from such artists as Marcel Dyf, Maximilien Luce, Jean Dufy, Francois Gall, Ida Kohlmeyer, Friedel Dzubas, Mark Tobey, George Condo and Mary Ann Currier will be available.

Prominent selections will include Rock shrimp, a 1985 oil pastel on paperboard by Mary Ann Currier (est. $4,000-$6,000); Girl seated in the grass, an oil on canvas by Francois Gall (est. $3,000-$5,000); and an abstract cast paper pulp piece by Friedel Dzubas (est. $2,000-$3,000).

Selections of California art will also be on offer by artists James Weeks, Clayton Pinkerton, James Hiroshi Suzuki, David James Gilhooly, Bruce McGaw, Hassel Smith, Frank Hamilton, Ruth Wall, David William Simpson, William George Allen, Sam Tchakalian and Manuel Neri.

Highlights from this section will include Untitled (Abstraction in Black), a 1961 gouache and crayon on paper by Hassel Smith (est. $1,000-2,000); an abstract oil on canvas by Frank Hamilton (est. $1,000-1,500), a selection of works of varying estimates by David James Gilhooly, including his beloved frog sculptures; a geometric minimalist abstract oil on canvas by David William Simpson (est. $800-1,200); and a Hans Gustav Burkhardt work on paper Untitled (Seated Woman) (est. $800-1,200).

Headlining the notable works of photography in the auction will be three large-format framed photogravures, on vellum paper, by American photographer Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) from The North American Indian: Pima Matron, 1907; An Offering at the Waterfall, 1914; and The Fire Drill, 1925 (est. $2,000-$3,000).

Additional photography highlights will include the male nude Gordon Hanson, from 1997 Portfolio, 1954 by George Platt Lynes (1907-1955), est. $1,500-$2,000; Male Nude by Herb Ritts, est. $1,000-$1,500; an untitled work by Tom Bianchi (born in 1945), est. $500-$700; and Portrait, from Season in Hell, 1986, a photograuve by Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989), est. $400-$600.

The Director of Period Art & Design auctions in San Francisco, Christine Skinner, says of the auction, "This is a great opportunity for Bay Area collectors, whether a beginner or an established buyer, to purchase quality works at affordable prices."

Also on offer in the auction will be property to benefit the estate of gay rights activist, war veteran and Victorian Alliance of San Francisco member Archibald John Wilson. Wilson was born in 1923 in Scranton, Penn. He served in the Army infantry during World War II from 1943 to 1946, and was a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge in Germany. Four decades later, in 1984, he became one of the founding members and a commander of Alexander Hamilton Post 448, the only predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender post in the American Legion. Wilson received a BA from Columbia University and was a longtime employee of Bank of America in San Francisco. He was a member of many organizations, a few of which include Veterans of Foreign Wars, Veterans for Peace, the Victorian Alliance of San Francisco and the California Heritage Council. All of the proceeds of the Wilson estate will go to the 23 charitable and non-profit local and national organizations that he remembered in his will.

Fine paintings to benefit the estate of Archibald Wilson will include two separate lots of Spanish Colonial School, 18th century oil on canvas works of The Archangel St. Gabriel (est. $3,000-$5,000 and $4,000-$6,000, respectively); a Spanish Colonial School, 17th/18th century oil on canvas of The Archangel, probably St. Michael (est. $4,000-$6,000); and a signed oil on canvas of Soleil levant by French artist Leon Frichet (1847-1907) (est. $3,000-$5,000).

Decorative art to benefit the estate will include an Eichberg Art Nouveau brass and ruby 'jeweled' table lamp Austrian, circa 1910 (est. $1,500-$2,000) and a tall rectangular Napolean III giltwood and composition ornamental mirror from the third quarter of the 19th century (est. $1,800-$2,500). Furniture is highlighted by an American, Victorian black walnut and burl walnut double bed, circa 1875 (est. $800-$1,200).

The sale’s illustrated catalogue will be available online in the weeks preceding it, for review and purchase at www.bonhams.com/perioddesignusa.com.

Auction Preview: June 22-24, San Francisco
Auction: June 24, San Francisco