Clars Auction Gallery

About Clars Auction Gallery

Clars Auction Gallery is the preeminent auction house of the San Francisco Bay Area, a firm with roots stretching back to 1948 that has grown into one of the most active and respected regional auction operations in the western United States. Located in Oakland, California, Clars conducts monthly two-day auctions of roughly two thousand lots, offering collectors and dealers an extraordinary volume and diversity of fine art, decorative arts, jewelry, Asian art and estate property throughout the year.

History

The firm's origins date to 1948, when eighteen-year-old Harvey Clar began conducting industrial auctions across a range of sectors including machine shops, woodworking operations and automobile dealerships. As demand for his services in evaluating and auctioning personal property grew — fine art, furniture, jewelry and the contents of substantial Bay Area estates — Harvey and his wife established their own auction gallery in Oakland in 1972. The transition from industrial to fine art and antiques proved prescient, and the gallery quickly became a fixture of the Bay Area collecting community. In 1996, Harvey Clar sold the business to Redge Martin, an Oakland resident who has continued to build on the firm's legacy of integrity and expertise.

Today, Clars operates from a spacious gallery at 5644 Telegraph Avenue in North Oakland, a location that provides ample room for previewing the large, diverse sales that are the firm's hallmark. The gallery's proximity to San Francisco, Silicon Valley and the broader Bay Area tech community gives Clars access to one of the wealthiest and most culturally sophisticated collector bases in the country.

Specialist departments

Clars' specialist departments reflect the diversity of its consignor base and the collecting interests of the Bay Area market.

• Fine Art — American, European and California paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture, with particular strength in plein-air Impressionism, Bay Area Figurative painting and contemporary works, reflecting the firm's geographic identity and the deep local market for regional artists
• Asian Art — jade carvings, Chinese ceramics and porcelain, Japanese woodblock prints, screens, bronzes and scholarly objects; the Bay Area's large and established Asian American community, combined with its proximity to Asia, makes Oakland an ideal location for this category, attracting bidders from across the Pacific Rim
• Jewelry — fine estate jewelry, diamonds, colored gemstones, signed designer pieces and luxury watches in dedicated sales and as part of larger general auctions
• Furniture and Decorative Arts — eighteenth-century European and American pieces through twentieth-century modern and contemporary design

The firm also handles estates, deaccessions from institutions and corporate collections.

Selling with Clars

Clars provides a comprehensive service for consignors, offering complimentary estimates and consultations; its specialists regularly visit homes and estates throughout Northern California to evaluate collections. The firm handles the full logistics of consignment, including pickup, photography, cataloguing and shipping. Seller commissions are negotiated on a per-consignment basis and are competitive within the market, and the firm's high auction frequency — monthly sales — means that consignors benefit from fast turnaround times compared to houses that conduct sales only quarterly or biannually.

Buying and bidding

Buyers pay a buyer's premium on top of the hammer price. The rate is tiered and consistent with industry standards, typically starting at approximately 25 percent, and California sales tax applies where required. Complete terms are published with each auction catalogue and on the firm's website. Online bidding is fully supported through Clars' own platform and through partners including LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable and Bidsquare, and absentee and telephone bidding are available for all sales, reflecting the tech-savvy expectations of its Bay Area client base.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Clars Auction Gallery sell?

Clars sells fine art, Asian art, jewelry, furniture, decorative arts and estates, offering roughly two thousand lots per monthly two-day sale.

How do Clars' fees work?

Buyers pay a tiered buyer's premium starting at approximately 25 percent, and seller commissions are negotiated per consignment.

What makes Clars stand out?

Its combination of high volume — roughly two thousand lots per month — with genuine specialist expertise across fine art, Asian art and jewelry distinguishes it from competitors, ensuring a steady supply of fresh material for dealers and collectors.