MONROVIA, Calif.— A 1995 original by Raimond Staprans blew past its estimate to achieve what may be a record for the well-known San Francisco Bay Area artist at Moran’s August 29 Art + Design auction.
Billed by the firm as having top lots from prominent collections, institutions and galleries, the sale featured a large number of strongly performing lots from across all collecting categories, with most coming from the realm of fine art.
Raimond Staprans (b. 1926-) immigrated from Latvia to the United States in 1947 and eventually ended up as a student at the University of California, Berkeley, where professors Hans Hofmann and Karl Karsten guided his career. He become a major figure in the burgeoning postwar Bay Area painting movement.
Staprans’ A Study of Down-Rolling Oranges with a Staid Neon Apple, a 42 by 46.75in oil on canvas from Mendenhall Gallery in Pasadena, California, was estimated at $40,000-$60,000. Bidding drove the piece to $190,000 ($247,000 with a 30% buyer’s premium), possibly a record for the artist.
Moran had three Alice Baber (1928-1982) works in the sale. Known for her abstract expressionist creations in oil and watercolor, one lot soared above the rest. The Door to the Gate to the Bridge, a 1975 oil on canvas measuring 34 by 54in, carried an estimate of $50,000-$70,000, ultimately crossing that bridge to a $110,000 hammer ($143,000 with buyer’s premium).
Peter Max has enjoyed a long and legendary career in the world of art, moving through a variety of styles with ease. A 1970 example from the height of his Pop Art phase, Right Now, made $50,000 ($65,000 with buyer’s premium) against an estimate of $25,000-$35,000.
Furniture design was also well represented, with this 1950s-era Herman Miller Model 420 storage unit by Ray (1912-1988) and Charles Eames (1907-1978) climbing well above the $7,000-$9,000 estimate to hammer at $20,000 ($26,000 with buyer’s premium).
View the complete sale results now at LiveAuctioneers.
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