Hamburg (kk) -- The little drawing by Pablo Picasso executed for the cover of Jaime Sabartés's "Las meninas y la vida" was just supposed to be a favor. Now, carrying an estimate of € 20,000-25,000, it is to go under the hammer at the Ketterer Kunst auction of Modern Art & Post-War to be held on October 27 and 28, 2006, at Meßberghof 1 in Hamburg.

This drawing in colored chalks, bearing the title "Vieux roi couronné' ["Old Crowned King"] was spontaneously jotted down on February 4, 1970. With colors that have remained vibrant and fresh and an extraordinary lightness of handling, it is utterly captivating. The assured handling of line and the original approach to incorporating the text attest to Pablo Picasso’s professionalism and make this work so special.

At this forthcoming Ketterer Kunst auction, which for the first time is exclusively devoted to modern and contemporary art as well as art after 1945, more than 1000 objects carrying estimates of up to € 50,000 are to be called.

Pride of place goes to the 1946 Emil Nolde watercolor "Seestück mit Segelboot" ["Marine Piece with Sailing Boat"], which leads off with an estimate of € 40,000-50,000. Entirely carried by the vibrancy of the colors, this composition measuring 22. 4 x 27 cm reveals a new side of the North Sea in a superlatively sensuous palette of orange and yellows.

Another top work is Ernst Wilhelm Nay’s "Dans la Campagne" ["In the Country"]. Carrying an estimate of € 20,000-30,000, this 1947 gouache is closely linked to the oil painting of the same title which is in the Wilhelm-Lehmbruck-Museum in Duisburg. Nay is represented by 30 other works with estimates ranging between € 400 and € 15,000.

A work that is bound to make tension mount in the auction room is an Emil Filla still life in oils, "Stillleben mit Stierschädel, Flasche und Buch" ["Still Life with Steer Skull, Bottle and Book"]. Carrying an estimate of € 20,000-30,000, it was probably done in the mid 1930s, when the artist was at the height of his powers at creating the perfect synthesis of composition, color and texture.

In a tranquil landscape Heinrich Nauen wanted to delve to the roots of human existence. 
The 1904 Nauen oil painting "Alter Mann und junges Mädchen im Garten" ["Old Man and Young Girl in a Garden"] attests to this intention. Alongside another Nauen oil painting, "Weiße und gelbe Gladiolen" ["White and Yellow Gladiolas"]: estimate € 12,000-15,000), it is to go under the hammer for € 20,000-23,000.

Heading the sculpture section is an early (1932) work by Arno Breker in bronze. The Breker Träumerei [Reveries] carries an estimate of € 20,000-25,000.

Next to it, a 1948 Karl Hartung plaster figure with a light grey patina entitled "Kleine Liegende mit aufgestütztem Kopf" ["Small Reclining Figure Supporting Her Head on Her Hands"] is reminiscent of Pablo Picasso’s Classical period. What makes it so appealing is the sharp contrast between the dramatic showcasing of the physical aspect and the calm, markedly classical profile. This work carries an estimate of € 18,000-24,000. 

The debate on fundamentls carried out between the old and the new avant-garde is what Jörg Immendorff’s "Hutmuseum (Lamm)" ["Hat Museum (Lamb)"] is all about. This portrait in acrylic of his teacher, Joseph Beuys (estimate: € 15,000-20,000), can also be viewed as the artist’s personal statement on how he found out where he stood.

Measuring only 19.2 x 11.3 cm, a Max Liebermann drawing in pastels over pencil (estimate: € 10,000-15,000), "Spaziergänger im Tiergarten" [Strolling in the Tiergarten], done c 1920/25, might be a preliminary study for the sequence of Liebermann paintings dealing with this motif.

About ten years later, Jeanne Mammen also set her scenes of urban petit bourgeoisie and parvenu pleasures in Berlin. Her "Vor der Theaterkasse" ["At the Ticket Window"] in pen and ink washed with watercolor is part of the complex of works the artist produced between 1928 and 1933, when she was at the height of her powers, a body of work that has ensured her lasting fame. Here the estimate has been set at € 9,000-12,000.

If it is your lucky day, you might be able to acquire Martin Kippenbergers "Papa Balla – Mamma Balla" for the paltry sum of € 7,000-8,000. At least that’s the estimate for this 1992 collage of various kinds of paper, watercolor and ballpoint pen.

Of course works by Horst Janssen, a scion of the city, cannot be missing from any auction held in his native Hamburg. The highlights of nearly 20 Janssen works to be sold include a portfolio "Nigromontanus" (estimate: € 8,000-10,000), a color woodcut "Affen auf Samt" ["Apes on Velvet"]  (estimate: € 4,500-5,500) and, notably, a 1991 work suggestively entitled "Klecksbild" ["Blotch Picture"] (estimate: € 8,000-2,000). Janssen lent this erotic work in watercolor and India ink an aesthetic aura grounded both in his superlative draughtsmanly skill and brilliant handling of sudden brainstorms that incorporates the felicities of fortuity.

Pre-sales viewings of all works are scheduled for the following dates and times in Hamburg: 
October 12-14 11 am-5 pm
October 23-25 11 am -5 pm
October 26 by appointment
Ketterer Kunst, Am Meßberg 1

Selected works will also be shown in Munich:
October 18-20 11 am-5 pm 
Ketterer Kunst, Prinzregentenstr. 61

Since it was founded in 1954, Ketterer Kunst has been firmly established in the front ranks of auction houses dealing in art and rare books. While the Munich headquarters in the Prinz-Alfons-Palais is responsible for the two traditional annual auctions of Modern Art & Post War, the Meßberghof in Hamburg is the venue for two auctions a year, each based on the following fields: Old and More Recent Masters/Marine Art and Rare Books - Autographs - Manuscripts - Decorative Prints as well as Modern Art & Post War, with a focus on works on paper. In addition, exhibitions, special auctions and benefit auctions for charity are regular events at Ketterer Kunst..

Hamburg, October 11,2006