Hamburg, 30 October 2007, (kk) - German art is in with a vengeance. That this is so has been confirmed by the outstanding results achieved at the two-day Ketterer Kunst auction of Modern Art & Post War in Hamburg on 26 and 27 October, which has achieved overall proceeds of € 2 million. Names such as Feininger, Ohm and Pechstein in Modern Art and Penck, Hoehme and Hartung among contemporaries are high up on the list of must-haves.
The Top 4 at the Auction
€ 31,000*
Lyonel Feininger - "Untitled"
estimate: € 22,000 - 29,000
€ 29,000*
A. R. Penck - "Untitled"
estimate: € 10,000
€ 29,000*
Gerhard Hoehme - "Pr. Blue Duet"
estimate: € 18,000
€ 28,000*
Hans Hartung - "P 1958-65"
estimate: € 25,000
The 1933 Lyonel Feininger untitled pen and India ink drawing (estimate: € 22,000) went to a dealer on the telephone for € 31,000*. He left the auction room, the written orders in the book and two other telephone bidders behind.
Another "Untitled" work, a 1966 A.R. Penck "Ohne Titel" a vibrant light red, was grabbed by a Berlin dealer for 29,000*, ensuring a considerable rise above the estimate (€ 10,000).
A Gerhard Hoehme oil painting, "Pr. Blaues Duett" ["Prussian Blue Duet"], rose for just as much, ultimately going to a south German private collection that had placed a bid in writing.
Only slightly lower at € 28,000* was the price paid for "P 1958-65", a Hans Hartung in charcoal with coloured chalks. A German dealer succeeded in outbidding stiff competition to acquire it.
Also well worth a mention:
| Artist | Title | Estimate | Sale Price | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilhelm Ohm (oils) | Heuhocke | € 9,000 | € 22,000* | Germany |
| Uwe Lausen (acrylic) | Ohne Titel | € 5,000 | € 20,000* | Denmark |
| Adolf Luther (Object) | Glasstreifenobjekt | € 15,000 | € 19,000* | Germany |
| H. M. Pechstein (woodcut) | Sommer II | € 9,000 | € 18,000* | Germany |
| Max Kaus (oils) | "Liegendes Mädchen" | € 10,000 | € 17,000* | Germany |
| Bernard Schultze (oils) | Verschwörung | € 12,000 | € 17,000* | Germany |
| Rosemarie Trockel (ink) | Rorschach | € 14,000 | € 17,000* | Portugal |
Artists from outside Germany also made for an excited auction room. Pablo Picasso’s "Jeune Fille aux Grands Cheveux" might be mentioned as representative of the Modern Art division. Bidders in writing and on the telephone had to contend against more than a dozen interested parties from Germany and abroad. A Swiss client finally put an end to the fierce bidding skirmish by offering € 24,000* (estimate: € 6000).
"Untitled (SF80-1205)", a work by Sam Francis in the Post War division, fetched nearly as much. A bidder from London secured the work in acrylic in a small format for € 23,000* (estimate: € 15,000).
Lots unsold at the Ketterer Kunst auction at 1 Meßberg, Hamburg, on 26 and 27 October 2007 can still be acquired at the post-auction sales that will continue until 27 November 2007. Auction result lists are available: please call +49-(0)40-374961-0. For more information, visit us online at www.kettererkunst.com.
Since it was founded in 1954, Ketterer Kunst has been firmly established in the front ranks of auction houses dealing in art and rare books. While our Munich headquarters in the Prinz-Alphons Palais is responsible for the two traditional annual auctions of Modern Art & Post War, the Meßberghof in Hamburg is the venue for two traditional auctions a year, each based on the following fields: Old Masters and 19th-Century Art /Marine Art and Rare Books - Autographs - Manuscripts - Decorative Prints as well as Modern Art & Post War, with a focus on works on paper. In addition, exhibitions, special and benefit auctions for charity as well as live auctions online are regular events at Ketterer Kunst.
