Raumbeispiel
178
Karin Kneffel
Ohne Titel, 2014.
Oil on canvas
Estimate:
€ 50,000 - 70,000
$ 58,500 - 81,900
178
Karin Kneffel
Ohne Titel, 2014.
Oil on canvas
Estimate:
€ 50,000 - 70,000
$ 58,500 - 81,900
Karin Kneffel
1957
Ohne Titel. 2014.
Oil on canvas.
Signed, dated, and inscribed “2014/6” on the reverse of the canvas. 120.3 x 90.3 cm (47.3 x 35.5 in)From the “Pavilion Series.” [KA].
• A masterful synthesis of illusion, beauty, and virtuoso precision.
• Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's The German pavilion for the 1929 World's Fair in Barcelona, alongside Georg Kolbe's emblematic sculpture “Morgen,” undergo a fascinating reinterpretation through Kneffel's unmistakabl poetic style.
• Through sophisticated water droplets and light reflections, Kneffel opens up a multidimensional perception of art history.
• The artist’s works are in major collections, including the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, the Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden, and the Olbricht Collection, Berlin.
Accompanied by a copy of an authenticity certificate signed by the artist from Galeria Senda, Barcelona, dated December 19, 2014.
The work is listed on the artist’s official website. We are grateful to Prof. Karin Kneffel for the kind assistance.
PROVENANCE: Galeria Senda, Barcelona.
Private collection, Switzerland (acquired from the above in 2014).
EXHIBITION: Karin Kneffel. Pavilion series, Galeria Senda, Barcelona, 2014 (no catalog).
Karin Kneffel. Im Augenblick, Max Ernst Museum Brühl des LVR, May 1–August 28, 2022, pp. 33 and 35 (illustrated, pp. 96 and 99).
LITERATURE: Karin Kneffel. Endlich, exhibition catalog, Gagosian Gallery, New York; Schönewald Fine Arts, Düsseldorf; Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, Barcelona, vol. I, p. 165; vol. II, pp. 100–101 (illustrated)
Karin Kneffel. Still, exhibition catalog, Kunsthalle Bremen/Stiftung Frieder Burda, 2019, p. 204 (illustrated).
“In 2014, Karin Kneffel painted three pictures of a small outdoor area of the Barcelona Pavilion, which Mies van der Rohe had designed as the German Empire’s contribution to the 1929 World’s Fair [.].”
Wolfgang Ullrich, quoted from: Ontologisches Neuland, in: Exhibition catalog Karin Kneffel. Im Augenblick, 2022, p. 33.
Called up: June 13, 2026 - ca. 14.44 h +/- 20 min.
1957
Ohne Titel. 2014.
Oil on canvas.
Signed, dated, and inscribed “2014/6” on the reverse of the canvas. 120.3 x 90.3 cm (47.3 x 35.5 in)From the “Pavilion Series.” [KA].
• A masterful synthesis of illusion, beauty, and virtuoso precision.
• Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's The German pavilion for the 1929 World's Fair in Barcelona, alongside Georg Kolbe's emblematic sculpture “Morgen,” undergo a fascinating reinterpretation through Kneffel's unmistakabl poetic style.
• Through sophisticated water droplets and light reflections, Kneffel opens up a multidimensional perception of art history.
• The artist’s works are in major collections, including the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, the Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden, and the Olbricht Collection, Berlin.
Accompanied by a copy of an authenticity certificate signed by the artist from Galeria Senda, Barcelona, dated December 19, 2014.
The work is listed on the artist’s official website. We are grateful to Prof. Karin Kneffel for the kind assistance.
PROVENANCE: Galeria Senda, Barcelona.
Private collection, Switzerland (acquired from the above in 2014).
EXHIBITION: Karin Kneffel. Pavilion series, Galeria Senda, Barcelona, 2014 (no catalog).
Karin Kneffel. Im Augenblick, Max Ernst Museum Brühl des LVR, May 1–August 28, 2022, pp. 33 and 35 (illustrated, pp. 96 and 99).
LITERATURE: Karin Kneffel. Endlich, exhibition catalog, Gagosian Gallery, New York; Schönewald Fine Arts, Düsseldorf; Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, Barcelona, vol. I, p. 165; vol. II, pp. 100–101 (illustrated)
Karin Kneffel. Still, exhibition catalog, Kunsthalle Bremen/Stiftung Frieder Burda, 2019, p. 204 (illustrated).
“In 2014, Karin Kneffel painted three pictures of a small outdoor area of the Barcelona Pavilion, which Mies van der Rohe had designed as the German Empire’s contribution to the 1929 World’s Fair [.].”
Wolfgang Ullrich, quoted from: Ontologisches Neuland, in: Exhibition catalog Karin Kneffel. Im Augenblick, 2022, p. 33.
Called up: June 13, 2026 - ca. 14.44 h +/- 20 min.
Karin Kneffel’s impressive, masterfully executed work “Untitled” from 2014 is part of a small series of just three paintings that explore one of the most famous modernist buildings: the Barcelona Pavilion, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The artist put the sculpture “Morgen” by Georg Kolbe at the center of the composition; its organic form creates a deliberate contrast to the austere architecture.
However, Kneffel is not so much interested in a factual representation of the site as in its painterly transformation. The scene appears as if viewed through a pane of glass, with condensation, droplets, and smudges adding an extra layer to the image. This layer functions not only as a visual barrier but also as a means of presentation: the subject is partially obscured and distorted, yet its presence is heightened.
What is characteristic is the subtle interplay of hyperreal precision and deliberate blurring. Reflections in the water basin and in the glass overlap with the depiction of the sculpture, creating a multi-layered, unstable pictorial space. The viewer’s gaze is guided and simultaneously unsettled; the seemingly familiar eludes unambiguous interpretation.
As in many of her works, Kneffel combines different levels of reality in this piece as well. Photographic source material, architectural space, and painterly construction merge into a complex pictorial reality in which perception itself becomes the subject. At the same time, she subtly intervenes in the iconographic structure and shifts details, further dissolving the supposed reliability of the depicted subject. Light and surface play a central role in this process, reinforcing the image’s sensory presence.
As a former student of Gerhard Richter, Karin Kneffel is among the leading figures in contemporary painting. Her works are characterized by a virtuoso technique that combines illusionistic precision with subtle alienation. In the present work, this artistic strategy culminates in a compelling visual expression that does not depict the iconic site but rather transforms it into a complex, fragile perceptual situation: seeing remains, above all, an act of doubt. This fundamentally renegotiates the relationship among reality, the image, and the viewer. [KA]
However, Kneffel is not so much interested in a factual representation of the site as in its painterly transformation. The scene appears as if viewed through a pane of glass, with condensation, droplets, and smudges adding an extra layer to the image. This layer functions not only as a visual barrier but also as a means of presentation: the subject is partially obscured and distorted, yet its presence is heightened.
What is characteristic is the subtle interplay of hyperreal precision and deliberate blurring. Reflections in the water basin and in the glass overlap with the depiction of the sculpture, creating a multi-layered, unstable pictorial space. The viewer’s gaze is guided and simultaneously unsettled; the seemingly familiar eludes unambiguous interpretation.
As in many of her works, Kneffel combines different levels of reality in this piece as well. Photographic source material, architectural space, and painterly construction merge into a complex pictorial reality in which perception itself becomes the subject. At the same time, she subtly intervenes in the iconographic structure and shifts details, further dissolving the supposed reliability of the depicted subject. Light and surface play a central role in this process, reinforcing the image’s sensory presence.
As a former student of Gerhard Richter, Karin Kneffel is among the leading figures in contemporary painting. Her works are characterized by a virtuoso technique that combines illusionistic precision with subtle alienation. In the present work, this artistic strategy culminates in a compelling visual expression that does not depict the iconic site but rather transforms it into a complex, fragile perceptual situation: seeing remains, above all, an act of doubt. This fundamentally renegotiates the relationship among reality, the image, and the viewer. [KA]
Buyer's premium, taxation and resale right compensation for Karin Kneffel "Ohne Titel"
This lot can only be purchased subject to regular taxation, artist‘s resale right compensation is due.
Regular taxation:
Hammer price up to 1,000,000 €: herefrom 29 % premium.
The share of the hammer price exceeding 1,000,000 € is subject to a premium of 23% and is added to the premium of the share of the hammer price up to 1,000,000 €.
The share of the hammer price exceeding 4,000,000 € is subject to a premium of 15% and is added to the premium of the share of the hammer price up to 4,000,000 €.
The statutory VAT of currently 7 % is levied to the sum of hammer price and premium.
Calculation of artist‘s resale right compensation:
For works by living artists, or by artists who died less than 70 years ago, a artist‘s resale right compensation is levied in accordance with Section 26 UrhG:
4 % of hammer price from 400.00 euros up to 50,000 euros,
another 3 % of the hammer price from 50,000.01 to 200,000 euros,
another 1 % for the part of the sales proceeds from 200,000.01 to 350,000 euros,
another 0.5 % for the part of the sale proceeds from 350,000.01 to 500,000 euros and
another 0.25 % of the hammer price over 500,000 euros.
The maximum total of the resale right fee is EUR 12,500.
The artist‘s resale right compensation is VAT-exempt.
Regular taxation:
Hammer price up to 1,000,000 €: herefrom 29 % premium.
The share of the hammer price exceeding 1,000,000 € is subject to a premium of 23% and is added to the premium of the share of the hammer price up to 1,000,000 €.
The share of the hammer price exceeding 4,000,000 € is subject to a premium of 15% and is added to the premium of the share of the hammer price up to 4,000,000 €.
The statutory VAT of currently 7 % is levied to the sum of hammer price and premium.
Calculation of artist‘s resale right compensation:
For works by living artists, or by artists who died less than 70 years ago, a artist‘s resale right compensation is levied in accordance with Section 26 UrhG:
4 % of hammer price from 400.00 euros up to 50,000 euros,
another 3 % of the hammer price from 50,000.01 to 200,000 euros,
another 1 % for the part of the sales proceeds from 200,000.01 to 350,000 euros,
another 0.5 % for the part of the sale proceeds from 350,000.01 to 500,000 euros and
another 0.25 % of the hammer price over 500,000 euros.
The maximum total of the resale right fee is EUR 12,500.
The artist‘s resale right compensation is VAT-exempt.
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