In the summer of 1937, when the "Degenerate Art" exhibition was being prepared in Munich, Max Beckmann painted his last picture in Germany - "Stormy North Sea" - on the beach on the island of Wangerooge, before emigrating to Amsterdam, never to set foot in Germany again. Now this painting, formerly owned by Beckmann's friend Stephan Lackner, has returned to Germany with its looming grey clouds and will be auctioned at Villa Grisebach on 27 November for an estimated price of 800,000-1,200,000 euros.
During the auction week from 26 to 29 November in Berlin, 1438 works of art will be offered in eight catalogues at an average estimate of 17 million euros. The additional new 400 m2 premises in Fasanenstrasse 27, directly next to the main building, will be dedicated to contemporary art in future - and will be opened with a special auction: "BRD - Contemporary Art from Germany" offers a concentrated selection of important works by Joseph Beuys, Anselm Kiefer ("Dein blondes Haar Margarete"; 1981, 250,000-350,000 euros), Thomas Schütte, Georg Baselitz and Neo Rauch - as well as numerous works by the German ZERO movement.
Other highlights of the GRISEBACH auctions in November include a comprehensive collection of German Expressionist works on paper, from Ernst Ludwig Kirchner to Heinrich Campendonk. The highlight of the "19th Century Art" auction is an "Armoury Fantasy" by Adolph Menzel from 1866, which was restituted from the Albertina to the heirs of Menzel's first dealer, Hermann Pächter (100,000-150,000 euros).
For the first time, there is a separate catalogue for prints with works from Toulouse-Lautrec to Alex Katz. The highest estimate here is the rare, coloured state print "The Kiss I" by Edvard Munch at 180,000-240,000 euros.
In the "ORANGERIE" section, which offers special objects from five centuries, an icon of German furniture art takes centre stage: the "Walderdorff Commode" by Abraham Roentgen from 1755 (estimate 200,000-300,000 euros).
Micaela Kapitzky