ZURICH.- Spirited bidding at Koller’s June auctions of Modern, Contemporary and Swiss Art drove works well above their estimates, including pieces by Paul Signac, Fernando Botero, Ferdinand Hodler, and Domenico Gnoli. These sales have positioned Koller at the forefront of the German-speaking art market, achieving the top three auction results in the region for the first half of 2025.


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A key work in Paul Signac’s oeuvre, ‘Saint-Tropez, port en fête’ (1895), emerged from a German private collection after more than a century, having last appeared at auction in 1903. Painted shortly after Signac’s arrival in St Tropez, the vibrant composition reflects a pivotal moment in his artistic evolution, marked by a liberated colour palette and a refined Pointillist technique. Previously known only through a preparatory sketch, the work was the subject of intense bidding, ultimately achieving CHF 6.18 million—more than triple its estimate—in the 27 June Impressionist & Modern Art sale (lot 3233; estimate CHF 2 / 3 million).


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The Post-War & Contemporary Art sale on 26 June featured ‘Zipper No. 2’ (1968) by Domenico Gnoli, whose meticulously rendered close-ups of ordinary objects have become icons of his brief but influential career. The painting (lot 3469; estimate CHF 1 / 1.5 million) realised CHF 3 million and will now join a private collection.

Continuing a successful string of sales of major works by Swiss artist Ferdinand Hodler, the Swiss Art auction featured ‘The Salève in Autumn’ (1891). Painted the same year as his landmark work ‘Night’, the landscape came from a distinguished Swiss private collection and was recently exhibited at the Kunstmuseum Lucerne. It more than tripled its lower estimate, selling for CHF 3.1 million (lot 3022; estimate CHF 800 000 / 1.4 million).

Additional highlights included Fernando Botero’s ‘Monalisa’ (1959), an early work showing the hallmarks of his distinctive style. It sold for CHF 573 000 (lot 3446; estimate CHF 250 000 / 350 000). A dazzling work by Giovanni Giacometti, ‘Fiammetta II’ (1909), quadrupled its estimate at CHF 1.06 million (lot 3028, CHF 250 000 / 350 000). Two large-format works by Czech post-war artist Mikuláš Medek—painted during a brief period of cultural openness before the Prague Spring—realised CHF 400 000 and CHF 362 000 respectively (lots 3493 and 3494; estimate CHF 250 000 / 350 000 each). Gustave Loiseau’s ‘Les peupliers au bord de la rivière’ fetched CHF 400 000 (lot 3209; estimate CHF 150 000 / 250 000), while a vividly coloured floral still life by Louis Valtat soared to CHF 318 000—nearly four times its lower estimate (lot 3283; estimate CHF 80 000 / 120 000).