BERLIN.- A German–American bridge: A pro bono auction of the Villa Grisebach to be held on November 30, 2012, sees celebrated contemporary artists from both countries pledge outstanding artworks to help fund the American Academy’s Max Beckmann Distinguished Visitorship.

As a highlight of Villa Grisebach’s two-hundredth auction, works by artists including Georg Baselitz, Max Beckmann, Aaron Curry, Tacita Dean, Thomas Demand, Jenny Holzer, Alex Katz, Julie Mehretu, Anselm Kiefer, Anselm Reyle, James Rosenquist, Ed Ruscha, Günther Uecker, and Xu Bing will be on offer to raise support for the Academy’s Max Beckmann Distinguished Visitorship. Works with the highest estimated value, at roughly €150,000, are Anselm Kiefer’s large-format “Emanation,” Julie Mehretu’s painting “Four Fold,” and Jenny Holzer’s marble base from her series “Selection from Survival,” and at €280,000 Alice Neel’s large portrait “Dick Bagley.” Tacita Dean, Alex Katz, Julie Mehretu, and Günther Uecker created works specifically for the American Academy.

This American Academy in Berlin initiative, supported by Max Beckmann’s granddaughter Mayen Beckmann, honors one of the great artists of the twentieth century. Beckmann fled from the Nazis via Holland to live and teach in the United States after World War II. Recipients of the Max Beckmann Distinguished Visitorship will offer a master class to a group of German students in the fine arts and the humanities and curate a small exhibition drawn from the collections of one of Berlin’s National Museums.

“The American Academy is committed to facilitating the exchange of ideas by creating contexts wherein Germans, whether peers or students, can spend time with our American guests,” said Gary Smith, Executive Director of the American Academy in Berlin. “Establishing a lectureship in the name of Max Beckmann is both an honor and obligation, and Villa Grisebach has been as resourceful as they have been generous in supporting this initiative.” Bernd Schultz of Villa Grisebach explained, “Max Beckmann has always been one of the most important German artists for the Villa Grisebach – so it is an honor for us to show our great admiration for him through this auction, and for the American Academy as the preeminent institution furthering the transatlantic relationship. This auction is also a clear sign of the growing importance of contemporary art at the Villa Grisebach.”