MUNICH.- Stable results and content clients – that is the conclusion of the seven auctions that earned Ketterer Kunst total proceeds of € 20 million this spring. The brisk demand in the auctions of modern and contemporary art alone also won Ketterer Kunst the sole lead in this segment among German auction houses in this season.

“While the departments of 19th Century Art and Rare Books had already excelled their autumn figures with results of € 1.5 million and € 1.9 million respectively a little earlier, the section of 20th /21st Century Art saw a high level consolidation with proceeds of € 16.1 million in the auctions from 9 to 11 June”, said Robert Ketterer after the auctions.

He continued: “In 37 cases we reached or crossed the € 100,000 line, eleven of them were works by ZERO artists, which is excellent proof of the stable demand for this movement.

The focal points of the auctions from 9 to 11 June were on the following sections:
1. Modern Art
2. Post War
3. Contemporary Art

Modern Art
This section is lead by Hermann Max Pechstein and his oil painting “Stürmisches Wetter an der Ostsee (Beschienene Wellen)“ (lot 318), which a Swiss collector made sure for himself with a result of € 700,000, thus more than doubling the calling price.

Next to Alexej von Jawlensky's “Sonnenuntergang, Borkum“ (lot 324), executed during a stay on the island of Borkum in 1928, which a Bavarian collector lifted from a starting price of € 280,000 to a result of € 400,000, Otto Mueller was represented with a captivating tempera work (lot 314). A couple in the salesroom placed its bids with the aim to win the picturesque glade scene and let it rise from a calling price of € 200,000 to a result of € 375,000.

Oskar Schlemmer's watercolor “Sitzende“ (lot 335) was sold to a Hessian phone bidder for a result of € 262,500, however, only against fierce competition in the auction room and numerous written bids.

Likewise Heinrich Campendonk's oil painting “Drei Akte mit Schildkröte“ (lot 341) was sold on the phone. With an offer of € 225,000, an art lover from the Rhineland relegated other phone bidders from Germany and Switzerland to places second and beyond. For a result of € 131,250 a collector from Hesse won another work by Campendonk (“Blaue Figur“, lot 336, calling price: € 68,000), standing her grounds against a persistent Swiss bidder.

The range of objects by Karl Hofer, which was almost entirely sold, was led by the work “Mann (Jüngling) mit Hund“ (lot 329), it entered the race with € 100,000. A Southern German couple on the phone got a head start and left competitors in the salesroom behind when they won the deep portrait for a result of € 175,000. Persistency also paid off for a collector from Great Britain, who may now call the work “Mädchenkopf mit dunklem Haar“ (lot 333) his own for a result of € 85,000. Called up at € 38,000 he successfully defended the painting against the salesroom and phone bidders from Monaco and Germany.

Traditionally, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner is a guarantor of good auction results at Ketterer Kunst. Accordingly, all 20 works by the Aschaffenburg native were sold, most of them even with sharp increases. The array was led by the lithograph “Drei Akte im Wasser, Moritzburg“ from 1910, which was sold for € 47,500.

On Thursday the extra auction A Collection of Modern Art set the course for the three-day auction marathon. Quality and a first time appearance on the market must have been the decisive criteria why some 77% of the objects found new owners – all of them with great increase rates. A good example thereof is Hans Purrmann's painting “Der Hafen von Porto d'Ischia“ (lot 222), which sparked a fierce bidding skirmish when it was called up at € 55,000. It was eventually halted by a Bavarian collector on the phone at a result of € 100,000.

Post War Art
Top results in this section were once more realized by Zero artworks. Accordingly, Günther Uecker's “Feld I” (lot 911) was one of the auction's most popular works. Next to a packed salesroom and a long list of written bids, seven phone bidders from Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the American East and West Coast competed for the nail picture that was called up at € 180,000. It took a Bavarian art lover in the salesroom a bid of € 525,000 to curb her competitors' bidding frenzy.

In total some 17 works by Günther Uecker were sold with good price increases. Five of them reached six-digit realms, among them the nail work “Weißes Feld” (lot 947) from 1988, which a German art trader won for a result of € 262,500 (calling price: € 180,000) against the resistance of mostly other German bidders.

While the object “Schwarzes Licht im Relief” (lot 908, starting price: € 96,000, result: € 137,500) from 1958 was the most sought after work from Heinz Mack's range of offerings, it was the oil, fire and soot painting “Luther Rose” (lot 909) from 1962 that made, as expected, first place of works by Otto Piene in the auction. Against strong headwind from Belgium, China, France, Switzerland, the USA and Germany it will now go to a private collection in North Rhine-Westphalia, which offered a result of € 350,000, after the work had been called up with € 150,000.

Anselm Kiefer was represented with a quite heavy contribution. His work “Lapis Philosophorum” (lot 984) was particularly popular with bidders from overseas. Called up at € 180,000, the monumental sculpture will find a new home there for a result of € 250,000.

With an eager participation of bidders from Germany, Switzerland and most of all Austria, Maria Lassnig's oil painting “Ich bin der Hlg. Franziskus der Waldtiere (Selbstporträt mit Marder)” (lot 981) could more than double its calling price of € 90,000. After a fierce bidding skirmish an Austrian art trader eventually offered a result of € 225,000.

A Southern German private collector was so enthused by Sean Scully's “Small Grey Window” (lot 986) that he was willing to pay € 218,750. Not only did he provide a fourfold the calling price of € 48,000, he also stood his grounds against many art lovers from England, France and Germany.

Contemporary Art
The offers in the section of Contemporary Art, presented in an own catalog for the fifth time in a row, were well-received. Next to works by Anselm Reyle (lot 811, calling price: € 45,000, result: € 65,000), Eberhard Havekost (lot 808, calling price: € 30,000, result: € 45,000), Norbert Bisky (lot 860, calling price: € 16,000, result: € 37,500) and André Butzer (lot 855, calling price: € 7,500, result: € 30,000), Jason Martin and his mixed media work ”Evangelist“ (lot 818) caused quite a stir. An online bidder provided a result of € 75,000, which is a new German record for a work by the artist. Accordingly, the top 3 auction results for works by Jason Martin were realized at Ketterer Kunst.