New York City.  With works of art by Chinese contemporary artist Zhang Li and action painters Kazuo Shiraga and Norman Bluhm waiting to be auctioned on Saturday, June 4, Roland Auctions in Greenwich Village is starting to take on the ambience of a fine art gallery. Mix in a fine American painting by Henry A. Ferguson, an Ignaz Joseph Raab Old Master painting and it is instantly clear that buyers can anticipate exceptional values with good provenance.

But the story only begins there. A whimsical but very fine collection of Smoking Memorabilia is expected to prove the category's new poplarity. In addition to fine humidors there are charming mechanical memorabilia in the form of dogs, bears, birds and globes.  With estimates running from $50 upwards, the items are destined for broad appeal.

Highlights of the auction, however, focus on the art. Zhang Li's portrait of a "Girl in Red," 1991, leads the fold.  With an extensive exhibition history, Zhang Li's work is currently among the most desirable on the Chinese contemporary scene. "Girl in Red," was sold at Christies in 1994. It is Lot 170 and is conservatively valued at upwards of $40,000.

Action painter, Kazuo Shiraga, who sometimes painted with his feet or hanging upside down, is represented by a powerful abstract of heavy red impasto on a field of greens and yellows. "Untitled" is Lot 169. It is expected to bring $12,000 or more. Interestingly, Shiraga is credited with influencing early works by Yoko Ono.  

Lot 177 is a new-to-the market work by mid-century action painter Norman Bluhm. The mixed-media on paper entitled "Abstract" was originally purchased from the Martha Jackson Gallery. (She is the gallerist who did so much to develop the interest for modern art in America). Bluhm's "Abstract" is Lot177. It carries a catalog low estimate of $7,000.

Meanwhile, from the hand of another 20th C. painter, Lot 166 is Jean Jansen's oil painting of a Family of Four with Fruit Basket.  This work was sold by Galerie Hervé and later Wally Findlay Gallery. The historic Jansem carries a catalog estimate of $12,000 to $18,000.

Also of note is an oil-on-canvas by Philip Howard Evergood entitled "The Dream," 1958. As a canopy of red poppies bursts from a vase with harlequinade overtones that is set against a ground of yellow and black diamonds, an animated female nude looks on. Evergood's works of this period are rarely seen on the open market due to purchases by such museums as The Metropolitan, the Boston Museum, Art Institute of Chicago and Los Angeles County Museum. Bidding on "The Dream" (Lot 167) begins at $6,000. 

Stepping back to late 19th C, the sale features an excellent Arabian market scene by the American Henry A. Ferguson.  Widely considered a member of the Hudson River School, Ferguson traveled extensively. "In the Market" is the result of one of those journey's and portrays a slice of life among the bazaars of Egypt or North Africa.  It is Lot 173 and bidding begins at $12,000.

Works by other 20th C. masters include a still life by Maurice Freedman, an ink on parchment by Sadegh Tabrizi and lithographs by Fernand Léger, Wassily Kandinsky, Sam Francis and other highly collectible artists. Catalog estimates start at $800 for a Gerrit Hondius watercolor (Lot 160).

Following this strong lead is an 18th C. Continental painting by Ignaz Joseph Raab 1715 - 1787). In the oil on canvas, a woman dressed in red and wearing a white head scarf holds an infant who looks out at a bowl of fruit. The two sit in the muted background of a doorway that gives way to brick wall and a cascading vine. Bidding on Lot 172 opens at $10,000.

There are other antique Continental works in the sale including ones by Rembrandt van Rijn and W. Hunt. For details please visit www.rolandantiques.com.

Continental furniture and decorations include a French Louis XVI Commode Attributed to Jensen, an American partner desk by Horner Brothers, a Louis XV kingwood and bronze mounted parquetry marble top commode and a magnificent Seventeenth Century carved Italian cassone and intricately carved chairs.

According to Bill Roland, co-founder of the new auction gallery, the collections have been removed from Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island estates.  

Previews for the upcoming Roland Auctions sale begin on Thursday, June 2 and continue through Friday, June 3.  The June 4 auction begins at 11:00 a.m. in the gallery at 80 East 11th Street. Bidders can follow on the Internet at www.liveauctineers.com.