Selling Art
What factors determine whether your artwork realizes its highest possible price?
Will your artwork reach the right collectors worldwide? Which sales strategy fits best: a Live Auction, an Online Sale, or a Private Sale? Will it get the attention, it deserves?
The Answer
That is exactly what we focus on at Ketterer Kunst, a family-run auction house now in its second generation, backed by the Ketterer family’s 80 years in the art market.
Whether you have a single artwork, a collection, or an estate, we provide a free, no‑obligation estimate, recommend the right sales strategy, and connect your artwork with collectors around the world.
Recent results for our consignors
“As an auctioneer, I ultimately have one job, and it comes from my consignors: to sell a work of art for the best possible price.”Robert Ketterer
Why Ketterer Kunst?
Six reasons to consign with us.
Nearly 90 percent of bids reach us by phone or online, and almost half of our sales volume comes from bidders based in more than 50 countries. Before every auction, we reach out directly to collectors from a database of more than 120,000 clients. Our catalogs are published in German and English and mailed around the world, from Europe to South America and Asia. This brings your artwork to an international audience.
How high the bidding goes also depends on who conducts the sale. At Ketterer Kunst, we do not delegate this task: Gudrun and Robert Ketterer conduct the auctions themselves. With their name on the door, they have a personal stake in every hammer price.
For the 16th consecutive season, Ketterer Kunst leads the German-speaking art market. Artnet Analytics ranks the house among the ten top-selling auction houses worldwide for art created after 1800. More than 90 works have sold for over a million euros, led by Alexej von Jawlensky’s “Spanische Tänzerin” at €8.3 million. Dramatic price increases are not unusual here: Aristarkh Lentulov’s “Datscha in Kislovodsk” climbed from €20,000 to €1.1 million.
From the first estimate to the final payment, you have one dedicated contact on our specialist team. That person answers your questions, advises you on the right sales strategy, and keeps you informed at every step.
We put around 26,000 hours of work into a single auction. Cataloging, provenance research, and logistics are all handled in-house, and every work is checked for provenance, literature, and catalogue raisonné references. Most recently, our provenance researchers determined that a painting previously attributed to Gabriele Münter is in fact by Wassily Kandinsky. Discoveries like this can change the value of a work considerably. As Gudrun Ketterer puts it: “Every object that comes to auction with us undergoes thorough research. That is not marketing. It is part of who we are.”
We recommend the route that promises the highest return for your artwork: a Live Auction, an Online Sale, or a Private Sale. Timing matters as well. We develop an individual sales strategy for every work.
The Process
What happens after you contact us.
Step 1
The right department
Your artwork is assigned to the specialist department responsible for it.
Step 2
Our proposal
We take care of every detail, tailored to your wishes.
Step 3
Pickup
Once you agree, we collect your artwork, fully insured.
Step 4
Marketing and sale
Your artwork benefits from our international network.
Receive a free estimate for your art.
Our specialists assess artworks in their areas of expertise, confidentially and with no obligation. Submit photos online or visit us in Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, or Cologne. In special cases, we are also glad to visit you.
FAQ
Selling art with Ketterer Kunst: frequently asked questions.
That depends on several factors. Send us photos along with the artist, title, year, and dimensions, plus any receipts or other documentation you have. The estimate is free. We specialize in Contemporary Art, Modern Art, 19th Century Art, and Rare Books.
Nothing up front. The estimate, our advice, and our support all the way to the auction are free of charge. The seller’s commission and all other terms are agreed with you individually.
We sell on the secondary market, meaning works that have already been sold through a gallery or dealer. Typical consignments include paintings, drawings and watercolors, prints such as lithographs and screenprints, sculptures and photographs, as well as rare books. We accept consignments from private individuals, heirs, collectors, foundations, and companies.
You can choose between a Live Auction, an Online Sale, and a Private Sale. For our auctions, we reach out directly to potential buyers in our database, supported by international advertising and press coverage. In a Private Sale, we place your artwork discreetly and on your terms.
Four weeks after the auction you receive a written settlement statement, and seven weeks after the auction the proceeds are transferred to your account. If your painting does not sell, it is offered in our post-auction sale at its reserve price for eight weeks.
Yes. For estates and larger groups of works, we can catalog everything on site at your request and develop a plan for the entire collection. We are also well versed in handling corporate collections, from valuation and selection to marketing.
You can request one through our online appraisal form or visit us in person. Our headquarters and auction house are in Munich. We have our own offices in Hamburg, Berlin, and Cologne, and representatives in Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, and northern Germany. In special cases and on request, we are also glad to visit you in person. Our shipping department arranges insured transport, and your works are insured by us from the day of consignment until they are sold.
More information
Headquarters
Joseph-Wild-Str. 18
81829 Munich
Phone: +49 89 55 244-0
Fax: +49 89 55 244-177
info@kettererkunst.de
Louisa von Saucken / Undine Schleifer
Holstenwall 5
20355 Hamburg
Phone: +49 40 37 49 61-0
Fax: +49 40 37 49 61-66
infohamburg@kettererkunst.de
Dr. Simone Wiechers / Nane Schlage
Fasanenstr. 70
10719 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 88 67 53-63
Fax: +49 30 88 67 56-43
infoberlin@kettererkunst.de
Cordula Lichtenberg
Gertrudenstraße 24-28
50667 Cologne
Phone: +49 221 510 908-15
infokoeln@kettererkunst.de
Hessen
Rhineland-Palatinate
Miriam Heß
Phone: +49 62 21 58 80-038
Fax: +49 62 21 58 80-595
infoheidelberg@kettererkunst.de
We will inform you in time.