ZURICH.- Koller's winter auctions saw strong bidding and high results for works by Swiss, Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary masters. Jewellery and Watches were also hotly contested, as were the items in the fifth edition of 'Out of This World'.
A major work by Ferdinand Hodler was sold in the Swiss Art auction on 29 November to a private Swiss collector for 7.4 million Swiss francs.

In the last months of his life, from November 1917 until his death in May 1918, Hodler painted some of his most important landscapes, all depicting Lake Geneva with the Mont Blanc. These are works that have gone down in art history, in which Hodler dissolves the structure of the landscape to the point of abstraction.

One of these major works, most of which are in the possession of museums, 'Lake Geneva with Montblanc in the Early Morning, March' (1918) has only had three owners. After Hodler's death, it was acquired by the Galerie Moos in Geneva, which then sold it to the great Swiss collector Arthur Stoll. From his estate, it was sold in the early 1990s to an important Swiss collection, where it has remained to this day. The painting, which was included in all of the important Hodler retrospectives, was last exhibited in New York and at the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen. This is Ferdinand Hodler's most important work to have come to auction in recent years (lot 3024, estimate CHF 4 / 6 million).

The Impressionist & Modern Art auction on 29 November recorded some excellent results, such as the CHF 2.2 million realised for an early impressionist landscape, 'Le bassin d'Argenteuil' (1875) by Claude Monet (lot 3214, estimate CHF 2/4 million). A magnificent Surrealist gouache by René Magritte, 'Moralité du sommeil', sold after a protracted bidding battle for CHF 890 000 (lot 3257, CHF 400 000 / 700 000). Other highlights included a shimmering winter landscape by Gustave Loiseau that quadrupled its lower estimate at CHF 622 000 (lot 3209, CHF 150 000 / 250 000). This is among the highest prices ever realised at auction for a work by Loiseau. An early work by Paul Signac that well surpassed its pre-sale expectations at CHF 218 000 (lot 3205, estimate CHF 80 000/120 000), and a dream-like composition by Surrealist artist Kurt Seligmann which sold for five times its lower estimate at CHF 250 000 (lot 3261, estimate CHF 50 000 / 80 000).

A small oil on panel by Maurice Utrillo will join the collection of the Château de Versailles. Utrillo painted the view of the castle in 1952 in order to raise money for its renovation, as the castle's condition had greatly deteriorated during World War II. A postcard and a postage stamp were made of the image and sold to benefit the restoration project. After spending three decades in a private collection, it will henceforth be displayed proudly in the Château (lot 3253, sold for CHF 56 000, estimate CHF 30 000 / 40 000).

In the PostWar & Contemporary auction on 28 November, the harmoniously balanced 'standing mobile' by Alexander Calder, 'Three white dots on orange stack' sold for CHF 500 000 (lot 3433, CHF 450 000 / 600 000), and a 1965 gouache by Calder fetched CHF 112 000 (lot 3432, CHF 40 000 / 60 000). A large-format work by Franz Gertsch from 1993-94 changed hands for CHF 187 500 (lot 3463, CHF 150 000 / 250 000). Sol Lewitt's large-format cube in gouache from 1997 sold for CHF 112 500 (lot 3414, CHF 90 000/150 000).

The Jewellery and Watches auctions boasted excellent results, and Watches was a 'white glove' auction, with every one of its 61 lots sold. The fifth edition of Out of This World featured a space-flown Omega Speedmaster wristwatch which sold for CHF 143 750 (lot 4048, CHF 120 000 / 180 000).