One year after the premiere auction

Quality is the key: Auctions at Ketterer Kunst in Munich

Wassily Kadinsky
Park im Herbst. Around 1903
Oil on cardboard
24 x 31,8 cm (9.4 x 12.5 in)
Estimate: € 190 000-220 000

Munich, 26 October 2009, (kk) - "Art as a form of investment is in higher demand than ever before. However, a good quality is the main prerequisite for the buying decision", says Robert Ketterer, auctioneer and owner of Ketterer Kunst. Quite a few will strike a bonanza on 12 December, as the offers in the Munich auctions are very promising.

Thematic focal points will be on:
1. Modern Art
2. Old Masters and Art of the 19th Century
3. Post War/Contemporary Art

on 1: Modern Art

This section is headed by Wassily Kandinsky‘s oil painting "Park im Herbst" from around 1903. In terms of forms and coloring, the early park landscapes of the Moscow artist were strongly influenced by Post-Impressionism. Kandinsky‘s painting, which is entirely geared at the harmony of colors, is the result of his thorough studies of nature. The estimate for this expressive work is at € 190 000-220 000.

With an estimate of € 140 000-180 000 Max Beckmann‘s oil painting "Idioten" from 1913 is also at the top of the list. With an expressive stroke of the brush and a strong chiaroscuro, the observer is confronted with an enigmatic scene. An unusually abruptly broached sick bed with two people in the foreground as well as a vaguely suggested group of figures in the background is depicted. The expert Klaus Gallwitz wrote about the work in September 1999: "The 'Idiots' disconcerting hypocrisy announces the breech with the traditional rules of painting, additionally, the formulation of a new human concept of existence, which coined the artist’s future work, is quite obvious".

The objective of Alexej von Jawlensky‘s abstract heads is to go beyond the agony of everyday routines. Just as the "Meditations", which followed a little later, the heads are an expression of an existence that is deeply rooted in a set of beliefs. The quest for the immaculateness of transcendence is also reflected in the oil painting "Abstrakter Kopf" from 1932, which is, among other, inscribed with a dedication for Lisa Kümmel on the rear. The estimate of € 100 000-150 000 is rather mundane. A "Meditation" by the same artist (estimate: € 30 000-40 000) from 1935 will also be called up.

While Giorgio de Chirico creates a kind of mystic state of abeyance in his "Piazza d'Italia" (oil over a lithograph) by mixing various European elements of style and cultures from classic to present, Otto Mueller‘s "Wald am Fluss" (glue-bound distemper on burlap) has a very grounding effect. The composition with the dense forest, which seems like a primeval forest untouched by man, emanates total peace and calmness. Both works, just as Karl Schmidt-Rottluff‘s oil painting "Dunkles Symbol" in a strong palette, will enter the race with estimates of € 90 000-120 000.

Friedrich Wilhelm Kuhnert
Löwe im Kampf mit einem Kaffernbüffel. Around 1925
Oil on canvas. 193 x 305 cm (75.9 x 120 in)
Estimate: € 90 000-120 000

The December auctions will be opened with the section of Old Masters and Art of the 19th Century, headed by an unusually large oil painting by Friedrich Wilhelm Kuhnert, in a size of 193 x 305 cm (75.9 x 120 in) and an estimate of € 90 000-120 000. As one of the first animal painters, Kuhnert resolutely turned away from studio painting and gathered impressions in nature, among others, on various journeys to Egypt, East Africa and India. The work "Löwe im Kampf mit einem Kaffernbüffel", made around 1925, is a prime example of this artist’s mastery.

Another highlight of this section is the extremely rare bronze "Bambina che ride" (estimate: 30 000-50 000) by Medardo Rosso from 1889 and a painting by Timoleon von Neff. His 65,5 x 44,5 cm (25.7 x 17.5 in) large painting "Bildnis einer jungen Frau" will be called up with an estimate of € 25 000-30 000.

The lineup will be completed with Franz von Defregger‘s "Sonntagsruhe" (estimate: € 18 000-24 000) and a number of excellent prints, for example by Giovanni Antonio da Brescia, Niccolò della Casa, James Ensor, Lucas van Leyden, Francesco Piranesi and David Vinckboons.

An extremely large painting by Horst Antes is having the lead position in this section. With a size of 220 x 200 cm (86.6 x 70.8 in) it more than deserves its title "Grosses blaues Bild" (Large Blue Painting). Its museum quality, but also its size make this work outstanding - according to www.artnet.com, no other work by this artist in such a tremendous size has ever been for sale. Two further aquatec works, "Ocker-Figur mit Wunde" and "Stempelbild" by the same artist will be called up with estimates of € 40 000-60 000 each.

Another top lot is Günther Uecker‘s nail work "Field (Feld)" from 1977 with an estimate of € 80 000-120 000. The intense process of creation becomes quite obvious with this work in a size 120 x 120 x 12 cm (74.2 x 47.2 x 4.7in).

Whereas Tom Wesselmann‘s watercolor "Study for Nude Lithograph" (estimate: € 60 000-80 000 is both a blaze of colors as well as a sensual inebriation, Kenneth Noland‘s "Kunzite" (estimate: € 50 000-70 000) uses color as a pure sensory perception. Noland quite strikingly shows the observer the emancipation of colors.

Martin Kippenberger‘s "Ohne Titel (from: Uno di voi, un Tedesco in Firenze)" from 1976 will definitely make for excitement in the auction room. The estimate for the oil painting with a size of 60 x 50 cm (23.6 x 19.6 in) is at € 40 000-60 000.