Modern + Contemporary: Art & Design
April 24th – May 9th 2026
Modern + Contemporary: Art & Design Auction Realizes $289,230
Strong Participation Across 29 States
Circle Auction’s recent Modern + Contemporary: Art & Design sale realized a total of $289,230, including buyer’s premium, with participation from bidders in 29 states.
The auction brought together a broad selection of 20th century and contemporary fine art, ceramics, modern furniture, and design objects. The catalog featured works by established regional and national artists alongside examples of modernist furniture and decorative arts.
Notable Auction Results
Several lots generated strong competitive bidding throughout the sale.
Highlighted results included:
- Henri Maik, Amusement (1980), oil on canvas — $22,000
- Thomas W. Benton, Aspen Wall Posters #1–4 (1970) — $17,000
- Will Wilson, Peared Off (2002), oil on linen — $7,750
- Will Wilson, Peaches, oil on canvas in Heydenryk frame — $7,000
- Richard Thomas Davis, Seven Iron Pots (1996), oil on panel — $6,750
- Jacob Collins, Flag (1995), oil on canvas — $5,750
Additional interest throughout the auction reflected continued demand for contemporary realism, regional art, modern design, and studio ceramics.
Auction Highlights
The sale was led by a notable oil painting by French Primitivist painter Henri Maik and included original works by Robert Sudlow, Peter Max, Antonio Diego Voci, Robert Bingaman, Stan Herd, and Archie Scott Gobber.
A focused group of contemporary realist paintings by Jacob Collins, Richard Maury, Jacob Pfeiffer, Donald Jurney, Richard Thomas Davis, and Will Wilson attracted active bidding. Selections from the estates of Wilbur Niewald, Edward Navone, and Larry Thomas were also featured.
Printmaking and ceramics were represented through works by Robert Rauschenberg, Jacques Hnizdovsky, Akio Takamori, Victor Babu, Marguerite Wildenhain, Tom Rippon, and Paul Soldner.
The auction also included modern furniture and lighting by Charles & Ray Eames, Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Florence Knoll, Eero Saarinen, Clarence Teed, Philippe Starck, Cedric Hartman, Leon Houze, and Gerald Thurston.
Consignments Invited for Upcoming Auctions
Circle Auction is currently accepting quality consignments for:
- Kansas City Collections — Summer 2026
- Lithographs of Thomas Hart Benton: The Decker Collection — September 2026
Collectors, estates, and institutions interested in consignment inquiries are encouraged to contact Circle Auction for evaluation and scheduling information.
Kansas City Collections
Circle Auction is accepting consignments for our upcoming 2026 Kansas City Collections. This signature sale features fine art and regionalist works, with a focus on leading Midwest artists like Benton, Sandzén, Curry, Grant Wood, and Bingham. We are also seeking rare coins, bullion, sterling, bronzes, fine jewelry, rare books, antiques, and other standout pieces. Have something exceptional? We’d love to review it.
The Lithographs of Thomas Hart Benton: The Decker Collection
A rare single-owner group of Thomas Hart Benton lithographs, collected by Dr. Clarence R. Decker (UKC president, 1938–1953). Many are personally inscribed to Clarence and Mary Decker, reflecting their documented personal connection with Benton in Kansas City. Highlights include Prayer Meeting, commissioned by Decker in 1949 and recorded in Creekmore Fath’s catalogue raisonné. Fresh to market from long-term family ownership.