MUNICH.- Many art lovers had to leave empty-handed, the rush simply was too big. “We had some 1300 written bids (not counting those in the saleroom) for 870 objects. All in all 70% of all lots were sold, each realizing an average increase of 100%**”, says Robert Ketterer. He continues: “The € 100.000 line was crossed 31 times and even the one million Euro line three times. The exceptional total of € 21,6 million* realized in our December auctions even exceeds the top result we made in December 2013 by more than € 5 million*.”

Modern Classics
This section is led by August Macke's watercolor “Unter den Lauben von Thun (Ein Spaziergängermotiv” (lot 316). A collector from Southern Germany granted the result of € 1.825.000* for the splendid watercolor originating from the artist's best period of creation. Accordingly, he relegated an art lover from Northern Germany on the phone to second place and made for a triplication of the starting price of € 580.000. The result well illustrates the great bidding atmosphere in the full saleroom and on the phones.

A little later another final figure amounting to a threefold of its calling price was achieved by Egon Schiele's “Liegender weiblicher Akt mit angezogenen Beinen” (lot 328). Next to the room, nine bidders from all over Europe were in the competition. Despite strong German bidding forces and, of course, also Austrian, a new client from Belgium eventually managed to make the desired sheet sure for himself. He honored the work with a result of € 925.000*

Gabriele Münter's work “Der blaue Berg” (lot 312), which had already been traded high in the run-up to the auction as it does not only have ground-breaking meaning for her own development but also for that of the 'Blaue Reiter', reliably found its lover in Southern Germany. Called up at € 200.000, he had to prove great staying power, in order to win the race against a well-filled book of commissions and almost half a dozen competitors on the phones. Eventually, he was able to stop the race at a result of € 817.000*, setting a new world record for a work by the artist.

Bavaria will also remain home of Alexej von Jawlensky's ”Variation: Frühling” (lot 315). A private collector in the auction room made the oil painting sure for himself by lifting it from its calling price of € 120.000 to a result of € 362.500*. However, he faced tough competition, predominantly from the Rhineland and Franconia.

Half a dozen works by Emil Nolde were also quite in demand, but special attention went to his work “Dampfer auf See” (lot 356). The small watercolor was much sought-after by art lovers from the German language region, but the English and Swiss did not just sit and watch either, instead they entered the bidding battle at € 77.000, which did not stop before it reached € 256.000. In the end, the sheet in lucent red will remain in the artist's home country.

Quite a surprise was provided by Alfred Kubin's work “Der Adler” (lot 6) early in the auction. The India ink drawing soared from its starting price of € 8.000 to the remarkable result of € 137.500*, owed to lively international participation. An art trader from Great Britain not only relegated bidders in the saleroom and nine art lovers from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France on the phone to places second and beyond, but also made for the evenings highest increase and a new German record for a work by this artist.

The comprehensive range of some 20 works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was well sold and mostly with fine increases. Front position is occupied by his “Stehender weiblicher Akt” (lot 334), with which a trader who came all the way from England, had fallen in love. He lifted the price of the charcoal and color chalk drawing from its starting price of € 40.000 to the result of € 137.500*. Next to bidders in the saleroom, a fellow countryman on the phone, as well as several collectors and dealers from Germany had to look on.

The extra catalog with 35 works from the former Collection Wilhelm Laaff provided remarkable results with an average increase of 249%** per sold object. The top position is held by Conrad Felixmüller's oil painting “Der Maler Otto Schubert und Frau” (lot 221) with a result of € 412.500*. It will remain in Germany just as Georg Schrimpf's “Mädchen mit Hunden”, (lots 216), which was sold for € 162,500*. Both works achieved more that a five-fold of their calling prices.

Post War/Contemporary Art
This section is led by Kazuo Shiraga's oil painting “Chijikusei Gotenrai” (lot 820). The fact that the foot paintings by the Japanese count among his most sought-after works on the international art market has also been proven by this work from 1961. Next to a long list of written bids and a full auction room, 14 art lovers on the phone from Belgium, France, Israel, Norway, Switzerland and the U.S.A. were fiercely competing. It took a long bidding skirmish with many big and small steps before an enthusiast from Hong Kong stopped his competitors' frenzy. He honored the masterpiece with a result of € 3.145.000* and also provided a new record price for a work by this artist in Germany.

ZERO art was more than sought-after. Accordingly, more than 39 works by Otto Piene, Heinz Mack and Günther Uecker, almost entirely sold with very good increases, peaked in the sale of the work “Weißer Wind” (lot 848) by the latter from 1997. It went to a German private collector for € 1.081.000*, who not only stood his grounds against fellow countrymen but also against half a dozen bidders on the phone from America, France, Israel and Switzerland.

Second and third place within the range of works by the ZERO triumvirate also went to Günther Uecker [“Gebrochen” (lot 888), starting price: € 200.000, result: € 350.000* and “Schwarzes Feld” (lot 857), starting price: € 90.000, result: € 269.000*], while a lucent yellow grid picture by the lately deceased Otto Piene was especially captivating. Eventually, a Swiss man in the auction room took it home with him for a result of € 194.000*, leaving phone bidders from Belgium, Germany, Great Britain and California behind in disappointment.

Gerhard Richter's work “Ohne Titel (8.4.89)” (lot 864) was also heavily wooed. The small-size work caused a stir and an intensive bidding fight, predominantly on the phones, between around a dozen potential buyers from Belgium, Germany, Israel, Spain and Switzerland. The list of written bids stayed in the race for quite some length, but in the end a New Yorker carried the trophy home for a respectable result of € 412.500*. Another half a dozen works by Richter were completely sold at sharp increases.

The extra catalog Andy Warhol with 40 select works, partly originating from the Pop Art-icon's estate, was well accepted. The star lot “Lenin” (lot 764) from this suite, called up at € 95.000, saw fierce competition. A Swiss private collector was running shoulder to shoulder with a Californian art trader, however, the commission book was interfering their race. In the end a private collector in the saleroom won the race with his result of € 194.000*. Edvard Munch's lover “Eva Mudocci” (lot 776) was also treasured, her portrait did not only appeal to the American art trade, but also to a private collector from Switzerland, who won the lot at € 112.500*, called up at € 90.000, whereas his written bid would have allowed some more.

Works by Warhol offered apart from the extra catalog also climbed to respectable heights, such as it is the case with a series of 18 offset lithographs with watercolors (lot 907), for which a Southern German collector granted a result of € 150.000* (starting price: € 90.000).


* The rounded result is the hammer price + 25 % premium for hammer prices up to € 500.000. The share of the hammer price above € 500.000 is subject to a premium of + 20 %, which is added to the premium for the hammer price up to € 500.000.

** The average increase per object is the quota between starting and hammer price.