COLOGNE.- Sotheby's Germany launches the auction series this spring with a LIVE auction orchestrated from the Palais Oppenheim in Cologne. This makes Sotheby's the only international auction house to offer its entire auction portfolio, live and online, in Germany.
"Last spring, we celebrated the legacy of Karl Lagerfeld, the legendary haute couture icon, with our first live auction at the Palais Oppenheim in Cologne, which attracted the enthusiasm of customers all over the world.
Less than a year later, the second live auction will be entirely devoted to modern and contemporary art and will take account of the international art metropolis on the Rhine, which is characterised by a high density of collectors and institutions of modern and contemporary art. The Modern & Contemporary Auction offers paintings, drawings and sculptures by the most sought-after artists from Germany and abroad, most of which come from private collections and are being offered on the auction market for the first time.
It is a very special pleasure for my team and me to be able to celebrate the first live auction dedicated to modern and contemporary art in Cologne with a remarkable collector personality who has amassed a renowned collection of contemporary art over several decades - Ingvild Goetz. We have been entrusted with 49 works from her private collection, which will be distributed over four auctions, live and online in Cologne, as well as for sale in London." - Dr Franka Haiderer, Chairwoman, Germany, Head of Business Development EMEA & Asia
"Since its launch almost two years ago, Sotheby's auctions in Cologne have offered unforgettable moments, great successes and wonderful encounters.Winning over this clientele for our comprehensive programme, which consists of auctions, exhibitions and private sales, among other things, was our and my very special concern. And I am very pleased that we have convinced our customers locally and internationally with our wide range of offers, which includes works by established artists from Germany and abroad: Renée Sintenis, Katharina Grosse, Shara Hughes, Erich Heckel, Willi Baumeister, Leo Putz, Gerhard Richter, Günther Uecker, André Butzer, Christo, John McLaughlin, Jonathan Meese to name but a few. This enormous response to the range of works on offer in the auctions has been reflected in our results," said Eva Donnerhack, Director, Head of Fine Art Sales, Germany, Specialist Modern & Contemporary Art, and continues
"The impetus for the global buying interest was not only the discovery of unique works like the wonderful sculpture of the Great Daphne by Renée Sintenis, the collaboration with renowned private renowned private collections, such as that of the late Manfred Wandel, Stiftung für Konkrete art, Reutlingen, but also the market freshness and quality of the selection in the auctions.
Now I am looking forward with anticipation and excitement to the first live auction for modern and contemporary art in Cologne, which will be held on 29 March with a curated selection of works in the Palais Oppenheim on 29 March. This live event will offer collectors, existing and future ones alike, some surprises and promises to be an auction experience."
The LIVE auction of the Cologne Modern & Contemporary Auction Part I on 29 March 2023 will feature an exquisite selection of works by nationally and internationally renowned artists of modern and contemporary art, including works by Gerhard Richter, Karel Appel, Lesser Ury, Tom Wesselmann, Emil Nolde, Jeanne Mammen, André Butzer und Richard Serra, as well as six works from the Ingvild Goetz Collection (see below). With a preliminary estimate of around €2,000,000 - 3,000,000, Part I, which begins at 16.00, comprises around 31 lots. Among the top lots in the live auction are an abstract painting by Gerhard Richter (€350.000 - 450.000) and a colour space body by Gotthard Graubner from the private collection of Ingvild Goetz (€300.000 - 500.000).
From 24 March, the online edition of Modern & Contemporary Auction Part II will offer a number of works by well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, which are in great demand both on the German market and internationally. The online auction is led by works by the artists Thomas Demand (€26,000 - 35,000) and Antonio Calderara (€26,000 - 35,000) - both from the Ingvild Goetz Collection - Günter Brus (€45.000 – 65.000), Rainer Fetting (€24.000 – 34.000), Norbert Schwontkoswki (€20.000 – 30.000), Otto Dix (€20.000 – 30.000) und Max Pechstein (€18.000 – 25.000). Daneben sind Philipp Bauknecht (€8.000 – 12.000), Rebecca Horn (€4.000 – 6.000), Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (€15.000 – 20.000), Jonathan Meese (€15.000 - 20.000), Emil Nolde (€18.000 - 25. 000), Thierry Noir (€10.000 - 15.000), to name only a few, are represented with paintings, works on paper and sculptures, as well as a group from the About Change, Collection Germany, with works by, among others, Tom Sachs (€15,000 - 20,000), Josh Smith (€12,000 - 18,000) and Hanne Darboven (€12,00 - 18,000). Together, around 86 lots will be offered in the online auction, with a pre-estimate of around €900,000 - 1,400,000.
All the works up for selection in both auction formats have a strong market presence and quality and are likely to attract a high level of interest from the international collector community, especially as many of the works from both auctions have been in private collections for decades and are fresh to the market.
“‘I blur to make everything the same, everything equally important and equally unimportant. I blur so that all parts move into each other somewhat.'
Gerhard Richter 'blurs' to make everything the same, so that the parts move into one another; at first this sounds almost simple, but with this masterly technique he achieves an enormous and energetic density in his painting. In the case of Green-Red-Blue 789-33, which is being auctioned live in Cologne, the 'moving into each other' of the parts also corresponds to a 'coming close' of the colours. They blur into each other, mingle, but nevertheless stand independently and clearly next to each other. There is both interaction and calm between the colours. It is precisely this diversity of the work: from clarity to blurriness, from density to transparency, from important to unimportant, from equal to unequal which fascinates not only me but also our collector, who has long regarded the work as an enrichment to his collection. Now the collection is to shift to more contemporary positions; thus we are very pleased to be able to offer this impressive work by Gerhard Richter in our upcoming one in Cologne.” - Barbara Guarnieri, Director, Head of Office, Cologne, Specialist Contemporary Art.
Sotheby's will also present 49 works from the private collection of Ingvild Goetz, which will be auctioned over the next two months in Cologne and London. The proceeds from these sales will benefit social and cultural projects that are particularly close to Ingvild Goetz’s heart.
“To collect art is my great passion. Meeting artists and engaging with their work has shaped and enriched my life. Besides building up my collection, I have also been personally and financially involved in various charitable projects. I grew up as a refugee child and know what poverty means. That is why I am particularly committed to refugee women, children and young people. However, there are also some other philanthropic projects that are very close to my heart, such as the fight against anorexia and the improvement of education in Africa, Asia and Germany, in order to enhance the chances of people to lead a self-determined life.
Recently, I have been intensively dealing with the topic of age poverty. It is frightening that even in a country as prosperous as Germany, so many people are affected by it - a large proportion of them are women. Many of them live alone, forgoing the care and support, they are entitled to, out of shame. I am in discussion with various organizations to find solutions on how to reach these people. In order to be able to support this project on a larger scale, I have decided to part with 49 works from my collection. My goal is to allow people who are mobility-impaired, lonely and mentally burdened to age with dignity and also to enable them to participate in cultural life.” – Ingvild Goetz, Collector, Curator, Patron
The carefully curated group of 49 works from the Goetz Collection will be offered in Cologne and London over the next two months. The works reflect very well the high-calibre collection.
On 29 March 2023, the attention of the art world will be on the LIVE auction in Cologne, when six from the private collection of Ingvild Goetz will be offered in the Mordern & Contemporary Auction Part I - Gotthard Graubner, Tal R, André Butzer, Sherrie Levine and Sarah Morris.
Gotthard Graubner's work CAMELIONID from 1999/2000 is the top lot (Fig. Cover). is called for in the live auction in Cologne with an estimated price of €300.000 - 500.000. In addition member of the ZERO group will be represented by another work, "OHNE TITEL (GESACKTES KISSEN)" from 1969. 1969, which is estimated at €80.000-120.000. Both works belong to the group of the "cushion pictures".
Works by the Stuttgart-born artist André Butzer are particularly sought after. Interest in his oil painting "WITHOUT TITLE", which was painted in 2007, is also likely to be in great demand.
Estimated at €40.000 - 60.000, the work is being offered for the first time in an auction. auction and, not least because of its fair market a good opportunity for young collectors, not least because of its collectors (Fig. right).
A monumental canvas by the Danish artist Tal R from the year 2002/3 could be of particular interest to collectors with an artistic collectors because of its subject. The oil, paper collage on canvas is estimated at €60.000 - 80.000.
Complementing the carefully assembled group in the presence auction is a work by American photographer and conceptual artist Sherrie Levine, attributed to the Appropriation Art movement: UNTITLED (LEAD CHEVRON: 8) from 1988 is estimated at €50,000-70,000, while British artist and filmmaker Sarah Morris is known for her large-scale and colourful raster paintings and is offered with her large-scale work LIBRARY OF CONGRESS (CAPITAL), estimated at €35,000-45,000.
The entire offering comprises 49 lots, 24 of which will be auctioned in the two live and online and online auctions in Cologne and a further 25 in two auctions in London. The auction proceeds will social and cultural projects that are particularly close to Ms Goetz's heart.
MODERN & CONTEMPORARY AUCTION PART I, LIVE-AUCTION
For collectors and modernist enthusiasts, the excellent range of works in this section is likely to be of will be of relevance and will attract the appropriate attention:
The Berlin artist Lesser Ury is represented with an oil painting of HYDEPARK, created in 1926. was created. Ury, who was made an honorary member of the Berlin Secession in 1921, also travelled during this decade. Ury also travelled during this decade, for example to London as well as Paris. From these journeys the artist brought back a wealth of new pictures. The depiction of Hyde Park in the heart of London impresses with its wonderful brushwork, with which the artist reproduces the typical play of light in the park (estimate: €100.000-150.000). The work had been in the same in the same American collection for more than 80 years.
By 1908, Emil Nolde had perfected his skills as a watercolourist and used the medium for the rest of his artistic career. the rest of his artistic career. EVENING LANDSCAPE AT RUTTEBÜLLER LAKE (WITH REGENWOLKE) is an atmospheric view of Ruttebüller See in the extreme north of Schleswig-Holstein and in the extreme south of Denmark. The watercolour from 1920 is estimated at €70.000-100.000.
With her works of the 1920s, Jeanne Mammen is one of the best-known Berlin painters and Berlin painters and graphic artists. Born in Berlin and raised in Paris, she and her family returned to Berlin with the outbreak of the First World War. returned to Berlin with the outbreak of the First World War. After the informal artist's life on the Seine, she found the Prussian philistinism a culture shock, but still managed to gain a foothold as an artist and make a living from her work. Especially the nightlife in Berlin in the wild 20s with its numerous cafés, clubs and dance establishments became her source of inspiration. ZWEI MÄDCHEN (TWO GIRLS), created around 1925, is a beautiful example beautiful example from her artistic hand (estimate: €30.000-40.000).
In addition to the above-mentioned works from the prestigious private collection of Ingvild Goetz, the selection of contemporary art is complemented by outstanding works by established artists. including:
The contemporary art section - and the live auction - is led by by Gerhard Richter's abstract work, which captivates through its use of primary colours: GREEN-BLUE-RED 789-33 comes from a German private collection. Estimated at €350.000-450.000, the small-format oil painting (30 x 40 cm) impresses with the simple but striking colour combination of the primary colours green, red and blue.
In addition, another excellent work by Gerhard Richter will appeal to collectors' hearts: BILD 2.6.2008 is a wonderfully colourful execution of Richter's overpainted book leaves (€ 70.000-100.000).
In February 2023 Gerhard Richter celebrated his 91st birthday; in March 2023 the exhibition "Gerhard Richter. 100 Works for Berlin", which will unveil 100 works that the artist has given to the National Gallery on permanent loan.
One of the co-founders of the artist group CoBrA is also represented in this auction with a colour-intensive oil painting: LES OISEAUX by Karel Appel from 1955, which fascinates with its intense application of colour. (estimate: €260.000-350.000).
