MUNICH.- It was a very good auction. “We were able to achieve many records and excellent overall results. All in all around 70% of the objects were sold, making for total proceeds of around € 22 million before the post-auction sale“, says Robert Ketterer. He continues: “The increasing appeal of contemporary art has been proven by some 30% firsttime buyers in the respective auction and the collection “Good Taste“.

1. Modern Art
The top lot in this department and at the same time the auction's top lot was Emil Nolde's oil painting “Figur und Clematis” (lot 226) from 1935, which a Northern German private collector made sure for himself on the phone for a result of € 725,000, outbidding a number of written bids and the saleroom.

The other nine works on paper by the artist were also quite sought-after, first and foremost the two watercolors “Schwüler Abend” (lot 231) and lot 236 “Landschaft (Marschlandschaft in der Dämmerung”). While the latter was lifted to a result of € 168,750 (starting price € 95,000) by a Southern German collector, the other achieved the same result and thus more than doubled its starting price of € 65,000.

Another high-ranking artist in the auction was Hermann Max Pechstein, whose work “Wintermorgen” (lot 266) made for more than a seven-fold of its calling price of € 75,000. An art lover from the south of Germany relegated competitors from the rest of the country, Austria and Switzerland to places second and beyond with her offer of € 537,500. The 1922 oil painting “Rote Häuser” (lot 221) saw a likewise tremendous increase and soared from an initial price of € 160,000 to a result of € 437,500. A persistent collector from Hesse stood her grounds against tough opponents in the saleroom, the long list of written bids and a persevering phone bidder from Switzerland.

The sculpting section was dominated by Georg Kolbe's ”Auferstehung” (lot 255), which was sold for a price of € 155,000 (starting price: € 35,000) to a Southern German collection and the bronze “Der Flötenbläser” (lot 224) by Ernst Barlach. A collector from Hesse won the plastic for a result of € 112,500 after fighting a battle against a tough phone bidder from Northern Germany.

Half a dozen works on paper by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner were also much sought-after and were almost entirely sold with remarkable price rises, first and foremost the work “Badende am Ufer” (lot 220) which will remain in Southern Germany with a result of € 106,250.

2. Post War Art
This department was clearly led by Helen Frankenthaler's work “Marchioness“ (lot 833), whose admirers did not only come from Germany. Phone bidders from the Netherlands, Great Britain and from several places in the US were ready to contend with each other for the large-size work. Eventually a private collector from Luxemburg won the race and will carry the trophy home for a result of € 625,000, This is more than a three-fold of the starting price of € 200,000 and a new record price for a work by the artist in Europe. So far higher prices had only been realized in New York.

Sam Francis was another star of the evening. His seven works on paper were at the top of buyers' wish lists and were all sold with excellent price rises. The two works ”Over Orange (SF58-058)” and “White line (SF59-283)”, called up at € 120,000 each, made for a dense atmosphere in the saleroom. More than 30 phone bidders for both works came from, among others, Belgium, China, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands and, of course, the USA, providing a remarkably thrilling bidding skirmish that ended with a new auction record* for a work by Sam Francis in Germany: While lot 830 found a new home in Israel for € 475,000, lot 835 will remain in Germany for a price of € 450,000.

It took the sum of € 362,500 for a Swiss collector to win Willi Baumeister's “Phantom mit Rot” (lot 802). After it had been called up at € 250,000, he defended the work with great pertinacity against mainly German competitors.

The appeal of ZERO art is still high and the triumvirate Günther Uecker, Otto Piene and Heinz Mack alone was represented with around 60 lots which saw a very good sale. Next to Heinz Mack's lot number 817, which was sold to Belgium for a price of € 225,000, Otto Piene's “Tandem“ (lot 856) went to a collector in Luxemburg for a result of € 187,500 and Günther Uecker's “Handlung“ (lot 878) was sold to a German art trader.

3. Collection Good Taste / Contemporary Art
A selection of around 50 choice artworks presented in the small but fine extra catalog “Good Taste – A private Collection“ was met with great attention. The range of works in this exquisite collection of a Southern German architect was led by “Study for Homage to the Square: Two Yellows with Silvergray“ (lot 770), an oil painting by Josef Albers. Under lively participation of bidders from Germany, Switzerland and the USA, the bright yellow work soared from its calling price of € 180,000 to the superb result of € 387,500 offered by a phone bidder from the US East Coast.

Gerhard Richter's untitled color photograph (lot 781) found a new home in Switzerland after the battle had been fought out among half a dozen written bids and more than a dozen phones from all over the world. In the end it was no big surprise that a four-fold of the calling price of € 38,000 was realized at a result of € 150,000.

The range of offers in the department of Contemporary Art, with the acrylic work on aluminum “Kreuz und quer“ (lot 696) by Imi Knoebel at its top, was very popular with the audience. With strong headwinds from Belgium, Southern Germany and, of course, the Rhineland, it was eventually sold to a private collection in Hesse for a result of € 127,500. At the same time a new record was set, as this was the first time that the 100,000 euro line was crossed for a work by the artist in Germany.