MUNICH.- With total proceeds of around € 25 million (surely to rise above € 26 million after post auction sales) and a sales quota of up to 85% by lots, the autumn auction realized a more than superb result. 30% first time buyers underline the increasing appeal of Contemporary Art. A work by Ernst Wilhelm Nay provided a historic moment.
“I am very content with the result. We saw new records and realized excellent figures“, said Robert Ketterer. “The development of the key figures underlines the appeal of our range of offers.“ The auctioneer and owner of
Ketterer Kunst emphasizes: “We see a reduced lot total and higher individual results.“ The December auctions alone provided an average increase of more than 80% per sold lot. A total of 47 works reached or crossed the € 100,000 line.
Post War Art
Ernst Wilhelm Nay's oil painting “Scheiben und Halbscheiben“ (lot 804) was the undisputed star of the three-day auction marathon, not only did it set a new world record, it even beat the just one week old latest record by more than a million euro. Ten phone bidders from Switzerland and all over Germany were waiting for the work that was called up at € 230,000. There were oohs and aahs in the salesroom when a bid of € 800,000 was made. The present record was broken, but the race continued. The suspense was tangible when the million euro line was crossed, but it still went on – much further. The hammer only went down at a result of € 2,312,500 and the audience applauded when the bright and colorful auction highlight was sold to its new owner, an internationally active art collector bidding on the phone.
The suspense was similar when Sérgio de Camargo's work “Ohne Titel (n°349).1971“ (lot 853) was called up. Admirers did not only come from Germany, phones from Switzerland, France, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Brazil and several states in the USA were also joining the competition. Eventually a New York-based foundation won the trophy for a result of € 450,000, which is a three-fold of the starting price of € 130,000 and a new record for a work by this artist on the German market.
Another work that will call the US East Coast its new home is “Das Abgarbild” (lot 867) Georg Baselitz. Collectors and dealers from all over Germany were waiting for it to be called up at € 170,000. Collectors from Ireland and Florida were participating on the phone, however, with € 425,000 the highest bid came from the state of New York.
With more than 30 phone bidders and half a dozen written bids as well as lively interest in the saleroom, the early work “Peinture 33x22, 1957“ (lot 802) by Pierre Soulages was the auction's most sought-after work. Next to many French and German bidders, bids came from Dubai, Great Britain, Holland, Israel, Italy, Canada, Luxemburg, Morocco, the USA and Switzerland. Eventually a French art dealer made the oil painting, which had been estimated at an appealing price of € 35,000-45,000, sure for himself for a price of € 375,000.
More than half a dozen bidders from each Germany, Great Britain and the USA were on the phones for two watercolors by Gerhard Richter that were both called up at € 100,000 each. While the buyer of the untitled lot number 866 became its new owner for € 237,500, the work “Gebirge“ (lot 868) required a price of € 368,750 to change ownership. Both works will go to the Rhineland.
The interest in Blinky Palermo's four-part work “Happier than the Morning Sun (for S. Wonder) (lot 861) mainly came from Belgium and Germany. A collector from Southern Germany fought hard for the work after it had been called up at € 200,000. His efforts paid off when the hammer for the mixed media work with its subtle message went down at a result of € 300,000.
The Collection Ellen Sauter
The whirl-like arrangement of the nails in Günther Uecker's work “Weißes Feld“ provide an impression of rhythmical dynamics that was reflected in the passionate bidding skirmish for the collection's highlight. Apart from a good number of written bids and the saleroom, a dozen phone bidders from Germany, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Monaco, Switzerland and Brazil joined the competition. Eventually, a bid of € 650,000 from a Belgian trader stopped the race.
Jan Schoonhoven's work “R 43-4“ also soared to six-digit realms, landing at a result of € 162,500 granted by a Dutch trader. 13 other works from the collection were also sold with sharp increases.
Modern Art
This section is led by Franz Marc's “Zwei Pferde, blaugrün” (lot 611), which an art lover in the saleroom won for a result € 775,000 against fierce competition from phone bidders in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Austria. He eventually allowed the calling price of € 190,000 soar to a four-fold.
Other lots in the auction's top ranks are - next to Max Beckmann's “Stilleben mit Rosen” (lot 652), which the buyer of the record work by Ernst Wilhelm Nay also made sure for himself for a result of € 500,000, - Oskar Kokoschka's “Hamburg III” (lot 675) and Kurt Schwitters’ “Merzzeichnung” (lot 660), both sold for € 587,500 each. While the latter will call a museum in Houston, Texas its new home after a race against competitors from Germany and Switzerland, the first was in demand with a number of written bids, the saleroom and three eager phone bidders from the north of Germany. A collector from Berlin eventually won the trophy.
Called up at € 65,000, Auguste Herbin's attractive oil painting “Le vieux port de Bastia” (lot 648) almost realized a nine-fold with 14 phone bidders from all over Germany, France, Great Britain, Holland, Ireland, Israel, Monaco and Switzerland. However, an English art trader in the saleroom eventually offered the result of € 562,500* for the fine Corsica view from the important year 1907. Not only did he relegate competitors to places second and beyond, he also set a world record for a work by the artist.
Gabriele Münter's “Vereiste Straße“ (lot 610) also saw a very good result. A phone bidder from the Rhineland stopped the bidding frenzy in the saleroom with the result of € 337,500, which is a three-fold of the calling price of € 110,000. A collector from Bavaria honored the work “Zigeunerwagen II” (lot 646) with a result of € 125,.000, which is twice the starting price of € 65,000 and enough to win against a group of mainly Southern German competitors.
Almost a dozen works by Emil Nolde were popular with the audience, six of them even crossed the € 100.000 line, first and foremost the watercolor “Hohe See unter violettem Himmel” (lot 632), which will go to an English dealer for € 275,000. Proceeds will go to the construction of a Buddhist peace stupa in Austria. “Rittersporn und Dahlien” (lot 671) will call Franconia its new home for € 212,500 after a tough competition from the rest of Germany and Austria had been outbid. The oil painting “Holzfigur (Judas)” (lot 627) was sold to Brandenburg for € 187,500.
Two collectors from North Rhine-Westphalia fought a tough battle on the phone after Erich Heckel's “(Fränzi) Kind in der Hänegematte” (lot 623) had been called up at € 90,000. The saleroom soon took over the role of one of the phone bidders. The charming watercolor with the famous motif was eventually sold to the other phone bidder for € 243,750*, leaving the gentleman in the saleroom with nothing. At the same time a new world record that doubled the old one was also set.
The sculpture section was dominated by Georg Kolbe's ”Sitzende” (lot 329), called up at € 35,000 it was sold to a private collection in Southern Germany for € 47,500, as well as by the bronze “Frierendes Mädchen” (lot 618) from Ernst Barlach. A collector from Brandenburg won the figure for a result of € 125,000 against the room and phone bidders from all over Germany.
