Westchester's Only Auction House - Larchmont's Clarke Auction - Thrives in Recession

LARCHMONT, NY, September 09, 2010 (Press-News.org) Clarke Auction, after twelve successful years in an obscure leased location, begins a new era at its Boston Post Road Building with another first, two major sales back-to-back. Clarke's Eighth Fine Art Auction takes place on Sunday, September 12th at 2:00 pm, followed the next day with an Estate Antiques and Midcentury Modern Auction, on Monday, September 13th at 6:00 pm.

Westchester's only auction no longer Larchmont's secret.
The Larchmont business purchased the 2372 Boston Post Road property last November and spent the last ten months completely gutting and renovating the space. In the process, the company invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in new lighting, wiring, computers, plumbing, floors, windows, and doors; transforming the dark and damp interior into a state-of-the-art auction facility. It's already getting much more walk-in traffic as a result of the effort.

In the process, Clarke was also able to permanently hire a local unemployed college graduate for ongoing support.

Ronan Clarke, who founded the auction house in Larchmont in 1998, was born and raised in Dublin, and spent twenty years in London in banking and the record business before emigrating to the United States. Here, he initially worked as a house painter until opening two antiques shops on the Bronx's Bruckner Boulevard. Clarke then sold those successful businesses to start Clarke Auction.

Thrives in the Shadow of the Manhattan Giants
Since that time, Clarke Auction has managed to ride the peaks and valleys of the volatile art and antiques market as well as the global economy.

"When I first opened the business, mahogany and oak furniture were our bread and butter," commented Clarke. "But over time, 'brown wood' sank in value, and luckily, I'm known for spotting emerging trends early, and we moved quickly into Midcentury Modern Design (1950s pieces like Eames and Danish Modern), African-American Fine Art, and French and Italian Antiques."

Seizing these opportunities, together with its international buyers taking advantage of favorable exchange rates, enables Clarke Auction to avoid the pitfalls that have closed many local antique shops and other auction businesses. In fact, Clarke has clients in forty-eight countries and five continents.

Although it requires counter-intuitive thinking, Clarke finds that great items at his Westchester auction bring higher prices than they would at Christies and Sothebys.

"There's several reasons for that," notes Clarke. "First, we advertise our best stuff much more heavily than they would, and our fees are considerably lower." And he also comments that major dealers like to buy quietly at what they perceive to be an less visible location, and "they are willing to pay more to do so."

The result is that Clarke Auction discreetly holds many world records for Antiques, Midcentury Modern, and Fine Art. This year, a 19th Century French Commode, estimated at $20,000-30,000, sold to a Los Angeles dealer for $65,000, far exceeding the price of a similar piece sold in Manhattan. In 2008, a painting by the African-American artist Beauford Delaney sold for $176,500, breaking the artist's record of $104,000 set by Christies earlier that year.

Clarke Auction's Grand Opening and Charity Donation
The Auction's Grand Opening will take place with a public reception on Saturday, Sept 11th between 4:00 pm and 9:00 pm starting with live traditional Irish Music by members of Morning Star and guest performers, followed by a local chamber quartet.

On Sunday, Sept 12th at 2:00 pm, Larchmont Mayor Josh Mandell has volunteered to auction the building's first lot, a painting by the late Mel Fowler, with the proceeds to be donated to the Westchester Medical Center's Maria Ferrari Children's Hospital.

For further information, please call Clarke Auction at 914-833-8336 or visit its website at www.clarkeny.com.

Clarke Auction of Larchmont, Westchester's Premier Auction, conducts monthly catalogued sales featuring distinctive fine and decorative arts, antiques, exceptional furniture, oriental rugs, sterling silver and midcentury modern. For further information, please contact us at (914)833-8336 or ccauctiongallery@aol.com.