One year after the premiere auction

Quality is the key: Auctions at Ketterer Kunst in Munich

Otto Mueller
Artistenpaar. 1910/11.
Glue-bound distemper on burlap
120,5 x 87,3 cm (74.4 x 34.3 in)
estimate: € 600 000-800 000

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 Otto Mueller‘s "Artistenpaar", an outstanding bronze from the artist’s days with the "Brücke". At the same time it is one of just three oil paintings by Mueller made at that time, to ever have been on offer on the art market*. This work, estimated at € 600 000-800 000, is a prime example of Mueller’s mastery in nude drawing, it was unmatched by his contemporaries and also had a strong impact on other members of the "Brücke" artist group. The depiction of blacks in 1910/11 can generally be considered a sensation, as it went far beyond the limits of the audience’s common viewing habits.

Next to the work "Wald am Fluss" (estimate: € 90 000-120 000), glue-bound distemper on burlap, by the same artist, the watercolor "Stehender weiblicher Akt" (estimate: € 70 000-90 000) will also be called up. Interesting enough, a similar subject realized proceeds of € 360.000 in a Ketterer auction in 2007.

In terms of forms and colors, the early park landscapes by Wassily Kandinsky show clear features of Post-Impressionism, this is also the case with the oil painting "Park im Herbst" from 1903. The painting of the Moscow artist, 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 'Idiot‘s' 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 works, is quite obvious".

emil Nolde’s "Tänzerin" from 1913 can, without a doubt, be considered his most outstanding achievement in the field of graphic art. It was made in the context of a just eight week long co-operation with the lithography studio Wesphalen in Flensburg. With a size of 53 x 69,4 cm (20.8 x 27.3 in) the lithograph in colors will be called up at an estimate of € 100 000-150 000.
Alexej von Jawlensky is represented with three works in this auction: The objective of his 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" (estimate: € 100 000-150 000) from 1932, which is, among other, inscribed with a dedication for Lisa Kümmel on the rear. While the estimate for a striking "Meditation" from the year 1935 is around € 30 000-40 000, the rare "Landschaft Genfer See" should be honored with € 50 000-70 000.

Besides Karl Schmidt-Rottluff‘s oil painting "Dunkles Symbol" in a strong palette (estimate: € 90 000-120 000) two "Arbre de vie-consoles" by Diego Giacometti will enter the race with an estimate of € 100 000-150 000. The tree of life is not only a part of the table rack, but also an appealing wall decoration.

Works by the Surrealist Giorgio de Chirico are extremely hard to find on the German auction market. His "Piazza d'Italia" (oil over a lithograph, 1969/76), a piece of art that emanates a certain mystic abeyance because of its mixture of various stylistic elements and european cultures from the classical to the modern era, will be most likely to cause a stir in Italy.

on 2: Old Masters and Art of the 19th Century

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 oil painting by Friedrich Wilhelm Kuhnert (estimate € 90 000-120 000). With the size of 193 x 305 cm (75.9 x 120 in) it is his biggest work offered on the art market*. 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.

Other highlights will be the extremely rare bronze "Bambina che ride" (estimate: € 30 000-50 000) by Medardo Rosso from 1889, a work that has never been on the German art market at all, 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, Giovanni Battista Piranesi and David Vinckboons.

This section excels with sensational offers as many works are not only quite new to the market, they also originate from the artists‘ best days, as it is the case with Günther Uecker‘s nail work "Field (Feld)" from 1977, estimated at € 80.000-120.000. The intense process of creation becomes quite obvious with this work in a size 120 x 120 x 12 cm (47.2 x 47.2 x 4.7 in).

Horst Antes
Grosses blaues Bild. 1963
Aquatec on canvas
220 x 200 cm. 86.6 x 70.8 in
estimate: €  100 000 - 150 000