MUNICH.- With an overall result of € 3,4 million* in the April auctions, the season made a promising start, especially as this result tops that of last year’s spring auction by € 1 million. “Besides the high quality on offer, it is particularly the crisis-proof form of investment that is most convincing. Some 21 results above the € 20.000 mark in both auctions of 'Art from the 20th/21st century of up to € 20.000' clearly support this. I am already looking forward to this season’s main auction on 8 June“, comments Robert Ketterer on the first part of the spring auctions **.

The company’s owner continues: ”More than 30% first time buyers once more confirm fine art’s increasing appeal. The average increase of 203% per sold lot in the collection Schiefler delivers additional proof thereof."

Modern Art with Collection Schiefler II
The section of Modern Art opened the two-day auction marathon. With Rolf Nesch‘s color metal print “Große Elbbrücke II“ (lot 458) it also delivered the auction’s top lot par excellence. Called up at € 5.600, a private collector from Germany’s north honored the fine sheet from an edition of just 8 copies with a result of € 165.000*. Next to the auction room, he also relegated five international phone bidders to places second and beyond.

All other works by the artist in this auction were also sold, almost entirely with remarkable increases. For instance the “Hafenbrücke“ from 1932 climbed from its starting price of € 16.000 to € 61.000*. A private collector from Oslo outbid his fellow countrymen, several bidders from Southern Germany and a Northern German museum. However, when the portrait “Gustav Schiefler“ (lot 454) was called up he stood no chance. An art dealer from Norway relegated him as well as German competitors to places second and beyond by offering € 25.000*, which amounted to more than a thirty-fold of the starting price of € 800, making it the number one lot in this auction in terms of increase.

Works by Hermann Max Pechstein made for excellent results, first and foremost his lithograph in colors “Mann und Weib“ (lot 478), which was especially popular with American bidders. The trophy, however, was won by the Norwegian art dealer, who had already been successful with the Nesch works. Eventually, he paid the overall result of € 117.000* for the rare sheet from the “Brücke“ days in 1909.

While a German collector let Karl Schmidt-Rottluff‘s “Szene“ (lot 479) from 1910, which was called up right after the Pechstein, soar from € 20.000 to € 54.000*, Emil Nolde‘s watercolor “Apostelkopf“ (lot 461) reached remarkable heights of € 51.000* and accordingly a six-fold of its starting price of € 8.000. This work also remains in Germany.

The 18 works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, which were entirely sold above their estimates, also made for excitement in the auction room. As expected, the list was led by the hand-colored woodcut “Kleines Variete mit Sängerin“ (lot 422) from 1912, for which a Franconian private collector had to fight off competitors from Great Britain and Switzerland with an overall result of € 49.000*.

Post War/Contemporary Art
This section is led by Georg Baselitz's 1982 work in blue ink on paper (lot 585), which, called up at € 10.000, achieved almost three times its starting price with a result of € 27.500*. It went to a private collector from Southern Germany, who stood his grounds against competitors from all over Germany.

While second place went to Markus Lüpertz and his “Rückenakt“ (lot 720), which went to a bidder from Austria for € 23.000*, and third place to Otto Piene‘s “Bretzelstrum“ (lot 772) for a result of € 22.500*, fourth place is shared among three artists at a time: Both Heinz Mack‘s object “Doppel-Flügel“ (lot 729) and Hans Hartung‘s untitled color chalk drawing (lot 512) as well as Markus Lüpertz's bronze “Daphne 7“ (lot 719) were sold for € 20.000* each. The first two will remain in Germany while the latter will find a new home in Austria.

Unsold objects can be purchased in the post-auction sale until 20 June. Result lists for both auctions are available by phone under +49-89-552440


*The result (figures are rounded) is the hammer price
+25 percent buyer's premium for objects up to € 25 000
+22 percent buyer's premium for objects as of € 25 001
+20 percent buyer's premium for objects as of € 500 001

** Unlike other German auction houses, Ketterer Kunst holds it auction season on several days. The main auction of Modern and Contemporary Art will take place on 8 June, 2013.