LOS ANGELES.- Bonhams & Butterfields, California's oldest and largest fine arts auctioneers, has established a reputation as a preeminent source for California and American works of art at auction. A May 1, 2007 offering simulcast between salesrooms in Los Angeles and San Francisco comprises yet another series of breath-taking views -- landscapes and seascapes, portraiture and genre scenes -- each sale bringing spirited bidding with a number of record prices routinely being set for artists such as: Xavier Martinez, Peter Baumgras, William Franklin Jackson and John Bond Francisco, among others.

Vice President and Fine Arts Department Director Scot Levitt sees growth in this market. "The market continues to steam ahead, and in light of projected or realized volatility in worldwide financial markets, buyers will undoubtedly continue to look to alternative sources of investment. We see no slowing in the California and American paintings market, particularly for better known artists and A-plus examples," said Levitt.

Expected to attract interest from collectors, connoisseurs, institutions and those with a passion for color, light and the American landscape, Bonhams & Butterfields bring California & American paintings to auction in San Francisco and Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 1, 2007.

An extensive array of subject matter comes to market, from the untamed West to metropolitan landscapes, featuring American masterworks from Maynard Dixon, Granville Redmond, Selden Connor Gile and a remarkable still-life from Franz Bischoff which is estimated to bring $150,000 to $250,000.