MUNICH.- With total proceeds of more than € 44/$ 51 million in the first half of 2022 (2021: € 44/$ 51 m.), Ketterer Kunst, the EU‘s leading auction house for art from the 19th/20th and 21st century, landed the German industry‘s best season result for the eighth consecutive time and once again defends its first place in the EU art auctioneer ranking.

After an exceptionally successful year 2021, Ketterer Kunst validated its strong market position as the only player from the German language region on the international art auction market. A total of 85 sixfigure results, as well as an additional five results beyond the million euro line, confirm the market success and all-time highs.

“There are three reasons for our sensational result: Top quality works show a great performance on the global art market. With our selection we were able to arouse vast international interest and win a particularly strong German purchasing power. Ketterer Kunst has become firmly established as the leading expert for the selling of high quality collections.“, says Robert Ketterer, auctioneer and owner of Ketterer Kunst. “After the Collection Haniel and the Deutsche Bank Collection, we once again accomplished a “White-Glove-Sale“ – meaning that the full range of works from the collection sold with sharp price increases.“

Late May the Rare Books Department started the season with a strong auction that raked in € 1.4/$ 1.6 million. On June 10/11 the sections of art from the 19th to the 21st century delivered a convincing performance in the saleroom auction. Combined with the sales figures of Online Only, the internet auction of Ketterer Kunst, as well as those of the Private Sales, Ketterer Kunst realized a volume in total of € 44/$ 51 million in the first half of 2022.

Bidding in the spring auction was determined by private international and domestic collectors. The saleroom was packed. Phone and proxy bids, as well as bids submitted online, were fewer in numbers than during Covid. “But the bids that come from outside the venue make the difference, as they lift the prices of works by internationally renowned artist to a top level”, says Robert Ketterer. The auction was broadcast in a directed live-stream, so that art lovers around the world were able to enjoy the suspense when the lots were called up from the comfort of their homes.

The auction‘s top stars are five works that landed in the millions: August Macke‘s painting “Mädchen mit blauen Vögeln (Kind mit blauen Vögeln)“, realized a result of € 2.545/$ 2.9 million*, which makes it both one of the most expensive Macke works ever sold, as well as the to date most expensive painting of the 2022 German auction year. The work with a paradisaical appeal will be part of a German private collection.

A number of international art lovers fought a spectacular bidding war for the 62 x 62 cm (24.4 x 24.4 in) sized “Abstraktes Bild“ from Gerhard Richter, which was sold to an American group of investors based in New York City for € 1.7/$ 1.9 million. In the year of his 90th birthday, Richter is in particularly strong demand. Four other of his works called up this past weekend were also sold with enormous price increases.

The upside-down “Waldweg“ by Georg Baselitz, executed as a finger painting, was highly contested by international bidders and eventually fetched a result of € 1.3/$ 1.5 million* granted by a German private collector.

Erich Heckel‘s “Kinder“, which shows his favorite model Fränzi, also aroused strong attention, both in Germany and abroad. The art-historically relevant work was also sold for € 1.3/$ 1.5 million* and will find a new home with a private collector from the Rhineland who was present in the saleroom.




For € 1.2/$ 1.3 million*, a collector from Germany won Emil Nolde‘s “Rittersporn und Silberpappeln“, a work that had been family-owned for nearly 90 years and which comes in the original frame carved by Nolde.

A first range of 45 lots from “The Brücke Painters – Hermann Gerlinger Collection“ offered in the spring auction‘s Evening Sale was at the center of the attention of both the public and the bidders. Mainly paper works by the artists of the Brücke were called up, but also several oil paintings and other collectibles. The tranche was called up for a total of € 3/$ 3.5 million and fetched a result* of € 6/$ 7 million*. A sales quota of one hundred percent and a price increase of one hundred percent underscore the collection‘s importance.

Through the sale of the collection, Brücke art receives new attention and draws the interest of younger collectors. “We were able to win many mainly younger new clients,“ is how Robert Ketterer describes the situation. “What is particularly remarkable is the international interest in the Brücke works. Three works went to American museums, while German museums did not enter the bidding circle.“

Ketterer saw strong international participation in the Evening Sale, 25 percent of the works went to art lovers from abroad.

With its works of Post War/Contemporary Art, Ketterer Kunst made for quite some surprises and growth. “Among them,“ says Robert Ketterer with a wink, “we find exponential growth of “Omikron“. The 1952 work by Ernst Wilhelm Nay was called up at € 90,000/$ 104,000 and soared to a result of € 475,000/$ 551,000* after a fierce bidding fight. “Indeed, we witnessed a price increase by a four- or five-fold a couple of times,“ explains Robert Ketterer. This was also the case with Rupprecht Geigers “377/62“, with “Maurisches Mädchen“, likewise from Nay, Pierre Soulage‘s “Eauforte I“, Emilio Vedova‘s “Ciclo 1962 BB4“ and Andy Warhol‘s “Goethe“

On average, works of Post War/Contemporary Art saw a sensational increase of 130 % in the spring auction. Particularly worthwhile mentioning is the auctions success of works by Nay, Nitsch, Oehlen, Opalka, Richter, Soulages, Vedova and Warhol.

The department of 19th Century Art scored with two exceptional highlights by Carl Spitzweg: The very typical work “Der Alchemist“ (result € 187,500/ $ 217,499 *) and his “Stadtwache“, kept in the characteristic Spitzweg blue (result € 150,000/$ 174,000 *) fetched particularly high results. The work “Verschneiter Birkenwald an einem Bachlauf“ by Karl Hagemeister was sold to a German museum for a result of € 131,250/$ 152,250 *.

The highlight of the auction of Modern Art was the small-size Nolde watercolor “See mit Uferlandschaft im Abendlicht“. Called up at € 50,000/$ 58,000 and landing at a marvelous mark of € 362,500/$ 420,500 *, the work saw a price increase of a sevenfold.

In its spring auction, Ketterer Kunst accomplished seven world records**: Joannis Avramidis’ ”Große Trias“(sold for € 237,500/$ 275,500*), Edgar Ende’s painting ”Die Brücke (Die Zeit)“ (sold for € 93,750/$ 108,749 *), Rupprecht Geiger’s ”377/62“ (sold for € 200,000/$ 231,999 *), the assemblage ”Ohne Titel“ by Marta Hegemann Räderscheidt (sold for € 87,500/$ 101,500 *), Pierre Soulage’s print ”Eau-forte I“ (sold for € 53,750/$ 62,349*), Walter Stöhrer’s ”Ania“ (sold for € 55,000/$ 63,799*) and Carl Wagner’s ”Elblandschaft bei Sonnenaufgang“ (sold for € 40,000/$ 46,400 *).

* The result is the hammer price including buyer’s premium ** The source for the auction records is www.artprice.com.