As of January 1st, 2023, Daniel von Schacky (46) will assume the leadership of the prestigious German auction house as chairman of the management board. Working in tandem with Diandra Donecker (34), a managing partner since 2019 and the largest minority shareholder going forward, von Schacky will pick up the baton as the major shareholder from founder Bernd Schultz. Together with Micaela Kapitzky and Dr. Markus Krause, also long-standing partners, they will steer the enterprise into the future.
The new leadership duo’s strategic development plan intends to focus on digitalization and internationalization, while placing a greater emphasis on post-war and contemporary art.
Daniel von Schacky, who has family ties to the company, already served Grisebach from 2006 to 2016 as director, partner, and head of the Contemporary Art department. Since 2016, he has been active as an art dealer and consultant specializing in contemporary art from his home base in Düsseldorf. His decades of international experience are complemented by an extensive personal network that encompasses leading private and corporate collections in Europe and the United States.
Bernd Schultz, who founded the company in 1986 together with four colleagues from the art-dealing world and went on to lead it with great success in the intervening decades, will continue to work for Grisebach after the change at the top: As chairman of the company’s advisory board and as partner, he will be there to give the benefit of his advice, contacts, and expertise. Micaela Kapitzky and Dr. Markus Krause, meanwhile, will continue to apply their in-depth expertise and experience in overseeing the growth of the Modern Art department, the core of Grisebach’s business.
Daniel von Schacky: “I look forward to embarking upon a new chapter in the winning track record of the company together with Diandra Donecker, Micaela Kapitzky, Markus Krause, our commercial director Rigmor Stüssel, and all the other Grisebach staffers. I would like to thank Bernd Schultz for placing his trust in me to carry on his life’s work with this outstanding team. This is an honour as well as an obligation.
Grisebach finds itself in a favourable position: Just a few days ago, we achieved the highest hammer price ever seen at auction in Germany, 23.2 million euros for Beckmann’s ‘Selbstbildnis gelb-rosa.’ This year also saw the company earn the highest turnover in its history: 73 million euros. We can and will build on Grisebach’s impressive track record and on the uncompromising standard of quality championed by our company’s exceptional team; at the same time, we intend to orient the company even more strongly towards international and contemporary art in the coming years.”
Bernd Schultz: “Daniel von Schacky and Diandra Donecker have the personal and strategic qualities, the business acumen, and the contacts that it takes to drive Grisebach’s modernization and internationalization and to secure the enterprise’s viability over the long term. Both boast exceptional expertise and are highly familiar with the needs of our clientele. I look towards the future of the company with great confidence.”