After an impressive showing in February’s African-American centered art selection, Clarke will return to a more internationally diversified offering of fine art on Sunday, March 16th.

               The featured lot in the upcoming sale at Clarke is an original oil painting by the renowned optical artist, Victor Vasarely. The Hungarian artist is known primarily for his colorful and optically confounding paintings and the piece to be offered by Clarke demonstrates the artists style in full. The oil on board is inscribed with date of work and the titled, “Calcis,” verso. The black and white piece is also labeled verso with 'Dreyfus Basel' and 'Leihgabe von Herrn Richard Dreyfus'. The label refers to Richard Dreyfus, who along with his wife Ulla, were prominent Swiss collectors from Basel. The couple focused on post war and contemporary art for their collection.  The painting will be presented to market at a $40,000/$60,000 estimate.

               From the same region, Clarke will offer an oil on canvas portrait of a seated nude by Austrian/Hungarian artist Edmund Pick-Morino to be sold at an estimate of $1,000/$1,500, and an oil on canvas of Washington Square Park by Hungarian artist Pal Fried estimated at $1,000/$1,500.

               Another featured international painting in the sale is a marvelously executed portrait of a woman entitled “Silk Fan” by Chinese artist, Chen Yi Ming. The painting, which was purchased from Hammer Galleries in 1997, is stunningly sharp and colorful, all while accurately and realistically portraying the subject. The conservative $10,000/$15,000 should warrant some considerable interest, especially given the success of the Chinese art market at the moment.       

               Moving east, Clarke will feature a signed 1960 Israeli portrait of a woman at $1,000/$1,500, a large unidentified but signed 1971 abstract by a possibly Islamic artist at an estimate of $600/$900, and a painting by famous Lithuanian- American artist, Arbit Blatas, estimated at $2,000/$3,000. Clarke has been consistently successful with Blatas works in the past, and the upcoming offering of an oil on canvas depicting the artist’s daughter Dorotha drawing should be no different.

               Several European artists and works of art will be featured as well, including an interesting scene of a woman feeding sheep by English artist Samuel Carr, estimated at $800/$1,000. Many French paintings will be offered as well, including an oil on panel of young street musicians by Louise Thuillier Mornard. The painting is a signed 19th century example of quality French work estimated conservatively for market at $1,500/$2,500. Also from France, a pastel by Francois Millet of a woman feeding chickens. A gouache by respected French-Ukranian artist Mane Katz depicting a wedding scene will be sold at an estimate of $1,000/$1,000.

               A continued and extensive selection of American artists will also be presented by Clarke on March 16th. The featured American work is the 1937 oil on canvas entitled “Alaska” by George Lovett Kinglsand Morris. The work is estimated at $8,000/$10,000 and features the interesting quality of a double sided canvas in which the verso abstract painting is protected by plexi.

               Morris was an outspoken and important actor in the development and preservation of abstract art as a respected artform at the start of the modern movement. In 1937, his art magazing Plastique served as a platform for his addressing the critics of the new artists in the scope of art history.  He eloquently defended and propelled new art by saying, “The bare expressiveness of shape and position of shape must be pondered anew; the weight of color (and) the direction of line and angle can be restudied until the roots of primary tactile reaction shall be perceived again."

Contemporary artists, he maintained, "must strip art inward to those very bones from which all cultures take their life." His words reflect the ongoing nature of new art and the sometimes controversial environment that contemporary art is constantly born into, even today.

Other important American works include a pastel by R.C. Gorman, a landscape painting by Roland Clark, a figural painting by Stefan Hirsch, and many more.

               While there are many important 20th century offerings in the art selection, there will also be a number of quality old masters works to be sold on the 16th.  Outside of original paintings, there will also be a complete selection of prints, including the more notable artists like Louis Icart, Joan Miro, Barbara Hepworth, Theodore Davies, Marc Chagall, a large French cinema poster by Jean Cocteau, and more.

The in-house previews for the March 16th, 2014 sale at Clarke Auction will be held from 12pm EST to 6pm EST on Friday & Saturday, March 14th & 15th. Previews will also be held on Sunday, March 16th (day of sale) from 10am to 12pm EST.

The full auction catalog is available 24/7 on www.ClarkeNY.com and is updated daily. For information regarding the upcoming sale, or to have your items evaluated for sale or consignment, please call the gallery directly at 914 833 8336.