Yayoi Kusama pumpkin prints eagerly harvested at Clars

Yayoi Kusama, ‘Pumpkin (RYSQ),’ $12,700

OAKLAND, Calif. – Clars Auction Gallery held a successful two-day auction on October 15 and October 16, with top performers including a 1996 canvas by Nathan Oliveira and pumpkin prints by Yayoi Kusama.

The monumental work by Nathan Oliveira (American, 1928-2010), Wing-Owl, from the series commissioned by Stanford University in the 1990s, caught the eye of a private collector and ultimately achieved $28,750. This painting was also featured in the December 1999 issue of Architectural Digest magazine. Also, a suite of prints by Richard Diebenkorn (American, 1922-1993) titled Six Soft Ground Etchings sold for an impressive $16,250. This was the first time the complete set was offered at auction.

Nathan Oliveira, ‘Wing-Owl,’ $28,750

In addition Clars’ mid-October auction saw success with works by artists from Europe, Asia and South America. These included the aforementioned screenprints by Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1929-): A Pumpkin YB-D from 2004 and Pumpkin (RYSQ) from 1998, which each sold for $12,700. A bronze sculpture by Alicia Penalba (Argentine, 1913-1982), Equisse no. 8, earned $12,065, and an alluring piece by Andre Eugene Dauchezs, (French, 1870-1943), Landscape with Pine Trees, realized $10,625.

Andre Eugene Dauchez, ‘Landscape with Pine Trees,’ $10,625

The Asian selection, which is always a draw for collectors, featured a set of Chinese blue and white dishes, each with five stylized lotuses and scrolling foliage and several bearing a Guangxu mark, which sold for $4,550; as well as a pair of beautifully carved hardwood armchairs that went for $5,000.

Alicia Penalba, ‘Esquisse no. 8,’ $12,065

A featured jewelry highlight was lot 2105A, a leaf-form 18K gold brooch from Buccellati, which achieved $1,680, more than three times its estimate; and lot 2000, an antique diamond and platinum-topped 14K gold brooch, which realized $2,080. More than 11% of the bidders in the jewelry portion of the sale were first-time registrants, a clear sign that the holiday buying season is right around the corner.

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