Hamburg (kk) - The proceeds from the Ketterer Kunst auction of Art of the 19th and 20th Centuries / Marine Art at Meßberg 1, Hamberg, on March 31, 2006, exceeded € 1.6 million. More than 90 per cent of the objects were in the section with estimates of up to € 10,000, which is particularly interesting for young collectors. "New records as well as enormous increases demonstrate once again that Germany is certainly competitive on the international art market," thus Robert Ketterer, auctioneer and executive director of Ketterer Kunst.

€ 43,000 (1)
Pablo Picasso - "Portrait de Jacaqueline ..."
estimate: € 18,000-25,000

€ 36,900 (1)
Jörg Immendorff – "Hutmuseum (Beeman)"
estimate: € 9,000-12,000

€ 35,100 (1)
Friedrich Ahlers-Heestermann - "Wassermühle"
estimate: € 12,000-16,000

€ 32,100 (1)
Wassily Kandinsky – "Kleine Welten IV"
estimate: € 14,000-18,000

€ 31,000 (1)
Pablo Picasso - "Le Vieux Roi"
estimate: € 17,000-22,000

26 Objects went for more than € 10,000

The auction room was packed, also with many guests from abroad, and about 400 telephone bidders, most of them speaking English, Italian or French, all of which made for a buzz of excitement. It was also possible to bid on the internet, a convenient facility taken advantage of by new clients from all over the world.

It was not at all surprising that, when the Pablo Picasso color linocut "Portrait de Jacqueline au chapeau de paille fleuri" ["Portrait of Jacqueline Wearing a Straw Hat with Flowers"] was called, English was spoken on four telephones. A London gallery doubled the estimate of € 18,000-25,000, bidding € 43,000 (1) to set a new European record for this work.

A world record was set by a bid from the US for another Pablo Picasso in the same medium. "Le Vieux Roi (Le Vieux Bouffon)" ["The Old King (The Old Buffoon"], that carried an estimate of € 17,000-22,000, went for € 31,000(1) .

Jörg Immendorff’s "Hutmuseum (Beeman)" was on the cover of the auction catalogue and, therefore, attracted attention from the outset. Carrying an estimate of € 9,000-12,000, it was worth € 36,900(1)to a south German collector in the auction room, who outbid six telephone bidders.

For € 35,100(1) the 1924 Friedrich Ahlers-Hestermann oil painting "Wassermühle" ["Watermill"] went to a north German collector, almost tripling the estimate of € 12,000-16,000. Another collector from the same region was so taken with "Straße in Paris" ["Paris Street"] by the same artist that he parted with € 14,300(1) for it.

The Wassily Kandinsky color lithograph "Kleine Welten IV" ["Small Worlds IV"] easily surpassed the estimate of € 14,000-18,000 to fetch € 32,100(1). A new client from California topped all bids in writing, in the auction room and on the telephone from Germany, England and Italy but lost out on two other Kandinskys: "Kleine Welten III" ["Small Worlds III"] and "Kleine Welten VII" ["Small Worlds VII"], carrying an estimate of € 10,000-12,000 each. They now enrich the offer at a Rhineland gallery, that paid € 17,800(1) and € 16,700(1) respectively for the two color lithographs.

The 1910/11 Emil Nolde watercolor "Zwei stehende Figuren (Theaterszene)" ["Two Standing Figures (Theatre Scene)"] was much fought over between the auction room and the order book. A south German bidder, whose bid in writing might have left some leeway won the field at € 22,000(1) but nevertheless nearly doubled the estimate of € 12,000-14,000.

The Max Liebermann drawing in chalks "Studie zum Gemälde ‘Der zwölfjährige Jesus im Tempel’' ["Study for the painting ‘The Twelve-Year-Old Jesus and the Doctors’'] fetched almost eight times the estimate. Measuring 29.8 x 22.7 cm, the sheet, carrying an estimate of € 2,500-3,500 sparked off a vehement bidding skirmish that was finally stopped by a north German dealer at € 21,400(1).

Another north German bidder, who was present in the auction room, set out to carry off the Otto Modersohn oil painting "Sommerlandschaft mit Steg" ["Summer Landscape with Landing-Stage"]. Doubling the estimate of € 8,000-10,000 to do so, she fended off telephone bids and the order book to honor this mood piece with € 19,000(1).

Antonio Corpora’s "Ciclo - L’età della Pietra" (early 1990s) rose to € 17,800(1). Since there were seven bids in writing as well as six clients on the telephone bidding from Italy, it was no wonder that a compatriot of the artist’s secured this blue and purple oil painting, that had carried the moderate estimate of only € 4,000-5,000.

A similar rise was recorded for the Gabriele Münter (estimate: € 10,000-12,000) India-ink-and-wash drawing "Landschaft bei Murnau" ["Landscape near Murnau"], which went to a Rhineland private collection for € 17,300(1).

Other works that comfortably surpassed estimates were the Carl Spitzweg oil painting "Zwei Fischerhütten am Waldrand" ["Two Fishermen’s Huts on the Edge of the Wood"] (estimate: € 8,000-10,000; result.: € 15,500(1) ) and the Karl Hubbuch etching "Wissend und blind" ["Knowing and Blind"] (estimate: € 4,500-5,000; result.: € 14 300(1) ) and the upwards trend continued in the Marine Art section.

Fred Pansing’s "Holländischer Passagier-dampfer ‘Potsdam’ auf dem Weg nach New York" ["The Dutch Passenger York Steamer ‘Potsdam’ under Way to New York"] (estimate: € 6,000-7,000) fetched a highly respectable € 14,300(1) with the winning offer made by a Dutch dealer.

The Tom Wesselmann color lithograph "Monica Nude with Cézanne", which went for € 14,900(1) to a south German entrepreneur, set a new world record. And for one of those too-good-to-be-true sensational, one-in-a-lifetime finds, Franz Radziwill’s "Weiße Tulpe" ["White Tulip"] fetched all of € 14,300(1) instead of landing at a fleamarket as its owner had originally intended.

A handsome success that saw the overall estimate of € 32,000 doubled, was also scored by the Special Auction Heinrich Zille, with 100 per cent of the lots sold. The 25 drawings by the Berlin artist fetched about € 65,000(1).

Post-auction sales will continue through April 28, 2006. For more information, visit us on the internet at www.kettererkunst.com or call +49 40-374961-0.

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. The Munich headquarters in the Prinz-Alfons Palais plays a leading role with two annual auctions of Classics of the XXth Century. Two auctions a year are devoted to Old Masters and Modern Art / Marine Art at the Meßberghof in Hamburg. Rare Books - Autographs - Manuscripts - Decorative Prints are also sold at auction twice yearly in Hamburg. In addition, special auctions and benefit auctions for charity are regular events at Ketterer Kunst.

Hamburg, April 3, 2006

(1) Sale price = hammer price + 19%