MUNICH.- To Günther Uecker the primal force of a wave is an allegory of the creative process, a “Hurricane of the Possible“. His work “Woge, Japan“ is a boisterously stirred masterpiece in which the artist unleashes his creative powers like a storm. The work will be called up in the auctions from 7-9 June at Ketterer Kunst in Munich.

Post War / Contemporary Art
Both the nail picture “Sturz (Kamakura)“, today part of the collection Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn and “Woge, Japan”, which has never been on the market before, were made under the spell of his journey through Japan. They are the two only works of the topic that is so important to the artist. Subtle allusions to an icon of Japanese woodcut art reflect the transboundary dimension in the artist’s creation and emphasize his special affinity to Asian culture and philosophy. Only the auction day will show whether the estimate price of € 600,000-800,000 for this highly associative masterpiece from the sought-after work group of the “Nagelfelder“ (Nail Fields) will also make for a “Hurricane of the Possible“. That day will also tell if the estimate of € 140,000-180,000 for Uecker‘s slightly smaller work “Feld (For Ezra Pound)“ from 1999 will be confirmed or even surpassed.

The array of around a dozen works by Gerhard Richter is led by three works with six-digit estimates from the 1990s. Next to ”Grün-Blau-Rot“ (estimate: € 200,000-300,000) from the edition of oil paintings of the same name made for the Swiss art magazine ”Parkett“ and the untitled small-size work ”Ohne Titel (9.12.96)“ (estimate: € 150,000.250,000), the painting ”Fuji“ (estimate: € 250,000-350,000) provides fascinating insight: The structure of Richter’s painting method becomes quite obvious here, as the bright red and orange colors, initially applied with a brush before the squeegee came into play, shimmer through in places of the lower margin.

Color or Non-color? That is the question that Enrico Castellani posed. The bright white work “Superficie Bianca“ from 1980 comes from his most important work group of the “Superficie Trapunte“, which is considered as the art-historically most significant contribution to Italian Post War Art. The magnificent work in landscape format will enter the race with an estimate of € 250,000-350,000.

The same price has been tagged to Robert Rauschenberg‘s “County Sweep“. The monumental mixed media work is particularly impressive, however, not exclusively, for its tremendous length of more than three meters (120 inches). With a height of 2.65 meters and a width of 2.3 meters (104.3 x 57 x 90.5 inches), Tony Cragg‘s massive bronze “Point of View“ also has a respectable appearance. With its estimate price of € 300,000-400,000 it is the leading work in the section of sculptures. Other works that can be found here are Adolf Luther‘s “Spiegelobjekt“ (estimate: € 80,000-100,000) and Heinz Mack‘s “Relief“ (estimate: € 70,000-90,000) from around 1970, as well as the bronze “Google Head“ by Elisabeth Frink (estimate: € 80,000-120,000), Norbert Kricke‘s “Raumplastik (Kleine Reux)“ (estimate: € 50,000-70,000) and Fritz Koenig‘s bronze “Camarque XIV“ (estimate: € 40,000-60,000).

Imi Knoebel will be represented with more than a dozen of his colorful and energetic works. Next to the collage “Pure Freude 10(1-3)“ and the mixed media work “Rot/Gelb/Weiss/Blau“, the acrylic- and aluminum work “Alle Vier“ from 1998, carrying an estimate of € 40,000-60,000, is a particularly big temptation for every art lover.

Other important works in this department are Ernst Wilhelm Nay‘s “Purpurmelodie“, (estimate: € 200,000-300,000) and Günther Förg‘s “Fenster I“ (estimate: € 100,000-150,000) as well as works by Dadamaino, Rainer Fetting, Günther Fruhtrunk, Katharina Grosse, Roberto Matta, A.R. Penck, Sigmar Polke, Fred Thieler, Victor Vasarely and, of course, Andy Warhol.

Modern Art
This section is led by one of just two views of Lake Lucerne that Lovis Corinth created in 1924. While ”Luzerner See am Nachmittag“ today is part of the collection of the Kunsthalle Hamburg, the work ”Luzerner See am Vormittag“ may be available for € 300,000-400,000.

Among the other top lots in this department are several works by Alexej von Jawlensky. Next to the ”Helle Erscheinung“ (estimate: 280,000-340,000) from 1916, another oil painting, “Gelbe Häuser“ (estimate: € 250,000-350,000), which the artist had made during his time in Murnau seven years earlier, is particularly captivating. The magnificent work is not only striking for its intense blaze of colors, it also seduces the observer with a lately discovered incomplete portrait of Helene Nesnakomoff, the young lover and later wife of the artist, on its rear side. For decades Jawlensky lived in a love triangle with her and his artistic companion Marianne von Werefkin. While ”Meereslandschaft Borkum“ and ”Frühlingswind und Wiesen“ will enter the race with estimates of € 180,000-300,000, the oil painting ”Grosses Stilleben: Helles Bouquet“ could be obtained for € 100,000-150,000.

Next to August Macke‘s idyllic scene “Kinder am Brunnen II“, Alfons Walde will take the observer to a trip to snowy Austria. Walde stages the magnificent Alpine landscape like no one else, so that one immediately falls for the love and passion he has for his homeland. His oil painting “Aurach bei Kitzbühel“ 1926/1928 displays a perfect winter‘s day. Both works have been estimated at € 200,000-300,000 each.

Emil Nolde‘s portrait “Ada“ has been estimated at € 150,000-250,000. The bright blue and red watercolor, a portrait of his wife from around 1930/1935, delivers the same proof of the artist‘s virtuosity as his flower watercolors (with estimate prices of up to € 120,000) that were made around the same time and come from a renowned German private collection. The two expressive watercolors “Marschlandschaft“ and “Mädchen mit blauem Haar“ (estimate prices up to € 150,000) have a likewise notable provenance as they come from the Canadian collection of Hugo and Madeleine Simons.

Hermann Max Pechstein is also represented with several works. Next to a flower still life dated 1913 (estimate e 150,000-200,000), the range of offerings is led by the oil painting “Am Genfer See“. Made during unburdened days in Montreaux in 1925, the work has been on permanent loan at the Kunsthalle Emden since 2006 and will now be called up with an estimate of € 140,000-180,000.

Further notable works in the section of Modern Art are Conrad Felixmüller‘s oil painting “Klöckner-Hochofen-Werk, Haspe vom Wohnzimmerfenster Familie Wulf gemalt, mit Sohn Ludwig“ which shows the unusual motif of blast furnaces seen from a living-room window (estimate: € 90,000-120,000), Karl Hofer‘s melancholic soulscape “Im grünen Kleid“ and Koloman Moser‘s “Landschaft bei Semmering“ (estimate: € 80,000-120,000 each), as well as works by acclaimed artists such as Ernst Barlach, Otto Dix, Lyonel Feininger, Gustav Klimt, Max Liebermann, Gabriele Münter, Pablo Picasso, Egon Schiele and Max Slevogt.