23.2 million euros! When the hammer came down on Max Beckmann’s Selbstbildnis gelb-rosa from 1943, a global record had been set at Grisebach’s evening auction. Vying against competitors from five countries, a bidder from Switzerland ultimately won the day. This is the highest amount ever paid for a work of art sold at auction in Germany, and the second-highest attained worldwide for a self-portrait by the artist.
Bernd Schultz: “It is entirely appropriate for this masterpiece of the 20th century to command an exceptional price! With this success, Grisebach has set a mark where the German art market is concerned and has put Berlin back on the map as the arena for world-class auction results. This consignment and its excellent outcome bear witness to the trust and confidence placed in our company for its expertise and international profile.”
A packed auction room and the participation of numerous telephone bidders from all over the world were harbingers of the resounding success that the “Selected Works” sale were to become. Otto Dix’s unique painting Katzen (Theodor Däubler gewidmet) sold to a German private collection for EUR 985,000. The artist’s 1924 water colour Mädchen mit roter Tasche doubled its original estimate (EUR 100,000 – 150,000) to EUR 300,000, going to a collection in the United States after stiff competition from bidders in Britain and Germany.
There was also keen demand for every one of the works by Max Liebermann on offer that evening: Reiter am Meer nach rechts doubled its estimate, eventually going to a Northern German museum for EUR 805,000 after a lively contest amongst several bidders. Blumenstauden im Nutzgarten was awarded to a private collector in Northern Germany for EUR 625,000, leaving its original estimate far behind. Schafherde, an early work by the artist, was secured by a South American collection for EUR 450,000, while a private collection in Southern Germany now is the happy owner of Corso auf dem Monte Pincio in Rom after bidding EUR 375,000. Selbstbildnis mit Schirmmütze, an impressive self-portrait drawn in chalk, was acquired by an art dealership for EUR 143,750.
Fischerhäuser in Nidden, painted in a striking impasto style by Max Pechstein, will now hang in the gallery of a Swiss collection, having fetched EUR 562,500. Georges Braque’s still life Les Citrons from 1952 went to a British art dealership for EUR 362,500, and thus doubled its estimate. The EUR 312,500 offered for Victor Servranckx’ Opus 9 by a private collection in the United States marks a world record for this artist.
A rare work of social realism by Georg Kinzer: Blinder Bettler (Berlin, Tauentzienstrasse) attracted significant international interest and was fought over by six telephone bidders from the US, Britain, and Germany. The original estimate of EUR 30,000 – 40,000 had been bid up to an impressive EUR 162,500 (private collection in the United States).
An energetic bidding contest for Eduard Gaertner’s Blick in die Strasse Unter den Linden, Ecke Charlottenstrasse, mit dem Hôtel de St. Petersbourg ultimately ended up quadrupling the original estimate for the work to EUR 575,000.
Outstanding results likewise were achieved for a number of top-drawer works from the international contemporary art scene. Lynn Chadwick’s spectacular sculptural ensemble Sitting Figures went to a private collection in Lower Saxony for EUR 985,000, while Wojciech Fangor’s striking painting B 26 from1965 found a new owner in the Rhineland for EUR 350,000.
Rosemarie Trockel’s monochrome wool image ohne Titel (1990) sold to a US bidder for EUR 500,000, thus hitting the upper range of its estimate. A record hammer price of EUR 168,750 was set for a water colour by Martha Jungwirth, thus confirming this Austrian artist’s growing popularity on the art market. The EUR 162,500 offered for Rainer Fetting’s colourful Schlittschuhläufer evidences the undiminished enthusiasm for works by Berlin’s Junge Wilde circle of artists. In the Contemporary Works sale, artworks originally belonging to the Schering Stiftung foundation were sold for a total of EUR 400,000, among them works by Roy Lichtenstein, Christo, Walther Stöhrer, and Stephan Balkenhol.
All told, the three winter sales held on two separate days racked up proceeds of EUR 43 million. With our annual turnover now amounting to EUR 73 million, 2022 is the most successful year in the annals of Grisebach.
Micaela Kapitzky
* All results incl. premium