Bonhams & Butterfields Announces Made In California Art Auction

Auctioneer to hold first-ever sale dedicated to modern and contemporary California art

The exceptional creativity of the state's leading modern and contemporary artists will be on display May 5th when Bonhams & Butterfields presents the "Made in California" art auction.

Artists such as John Baldessari, Ed Ruscha, Ron Davis and Larry Bell have made the Golden State the epicenter of today's art world, the company said. In a press release, the auctioneer noted that a recent exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, "Los Angeles: 1955-1985, Naissance d'une Capitale Artistique," has given international recognition to the California.

"The influence of California on the art world goes beyond traditional landscape and western paintings," says Holly Sherratt, a specialist in Modern & Contemporary art. In 2006, Sherratt developed "Made in California," an auction featuring the state's modern, surreal, abstract and conceptual artists.

"Sales like 'Made in California' are necessary to establish a strong secondary market for our California artists," says Sherratt. "We know the artists, we know the galleries; why not leverage these relationships and develop a stronger market for California art?"

The Los Angeles and San Francisco galleries will simulcast the sale on May 5th, enabling bidding from the salesrooms in both cities. "Made in California" will follow the international "Modern and Contemporary" auction that begins at 10am. Artwork from both sales will be on display in San Francisco on April 25-27 and in Los Angeles on May 2-4. The catalog will be available online at www.bonhams.com/us in the weeks preceding the auction.

The auctioneer is currently accepting consigments for this sale.

We love writing about this high-brow stuff, though the closest we've ever come to auctioning a piece of art was when we lost our "Dogs Playing Poker" painting (on black velvet, or course) in a game of (get this) POKER. The other guy had an aces-high flush. We miss that painting but could never find the right frame for it, so no biggie.
Photo: Manuel Neri (b. 1930) Prietas Series V, 1993/2000 bronze with oil-based pigment as pictured on bonhams.com.