Munich, 12 May 2011, (kk) - Hermann Max Pechstein’s "Zerfallenes Haus", which will be auctioned by Ketterer Kunst with an estimate of € 300 000-400 000, is a witness of the fundamental changes of the 'Brücke'-artist’s concept of art. "This work documents the artist’s clear and brave decision to turn to avant-garde art", said Robert Ketterer.

"It is a milestone in Pechstein’s development and a prime example of an artistic revolution at the highest level. Courage and quality are key criteria", added the auctioneer, particularly with regards to the offerings of his auction on 4 June 2011 with the focal points on:
1. Modern Art and
2. Post War/Contemporary Art

on 1: Modern Art until 1955

Next to Hermann Max Pechstein’s oil painting "Zerfallenes Haus" his oil painting "Stillleben mit Fächer" from 1918 also counts among the top lots of this section. The 80 x 70 cm (31.4 x 27.5 in) large work will be called up with an estimate of € 200 000-300 000, while his 1953 oil painting "Fischerhafen bei Fehmarn" and his work on paper "Zwei Mädchen in der Hängematte VII" from 1910 could be obtained for € 60 000-80 000 and € 50 000-70 000 respectively.

Other works in top positions are Gabriele Münter’s "Stillleben mit Madonna" from around 1911, which comes from the estate of her partner Johannes Eichner, as well as her oil painting "Schloss Elmau im Winter", which was made in 1933 and carries an estimate of € 120 000-150 000. The first mentioned belongs to the group of her mystifying-religious still lifes, which mark a highlight in the artist’s oeuvre. Furthermore, this is, according to www.artnet.com, the largest work by the artist that has ever been offered on the art market. The estimate is at € 250 000-300 000.

Two more highlights are Franz Radziwill’s "Gespräch über einen Paragraphen" (estimate: € 250 000-350 000) and Christian Rohlfs' "Soest" (€ 200 000-300 000) from 1916. The oil and tempera work is a rare document from the collection Walter Kaesbach, which is lost to a large extent, additionally, it is a prime example from Rohlfs' mature expressionist period of creation. In his confirmation of authenticity, Dr. Paul Vogt honors the painting as one of the "artistically most outstanding works by the artist on the topic "Soest"", which, in comparison with other works from those days, is particularly striking in terms of its strong coloring.

When an artist purchases works by another artist, it is both a proof of great respect and an excellent provenance at the same time. In the case of an oil painting by Vladimir Georgievich Bechteyeff Adolf Erbslöh was the admirer with an eye for quality art. Still under the influence of late Impressionism and before his sojourn in Paris, Bechteyeff created the oil painting "Parkweg mit Reiterin" in 1905. The rapid brushstrokes add particular charm to this early work, which can be called experimental both in terms of choice of colors and composition. It shows an artist, who, inspired by avant-garde tendencies of the late 19th century, is on his way to Modernism. The estimate is at € 150 000-250 000.

In addition, next to Emil Nolde’s lithograph in colors "Schauspielerin" (estimate: € 40 000-60 000) his "Marschlandschaft mit Bauernhof und Heudiemen" will also captivate the audience. The watercolor, made around 1930/35, with a dramatic cloud setting and lucent hayracks, delivers proof of the artist’s great artistic empathy and his deep connection with the landscape of his home country. The work carries an estimate of € 180 000-240 000.

Albert Bloch’s oil painting "Eine Gruppe-Gethsemane" will enter the race carrying an estimate of € 90 000-120 000. The work from 1914, which has already been on exhibition in the Art Institute of Chicago and in New York, mixes religious elements with the world of clowns. However, the composition is clearly modeled after Italian Renaissance and hints at a religious act. The work is offered together with a preliminary drawing.

The fascination of Otto Möller’s "Mädchen mit Halskette" is largely due to its harmony of heterogeneous components of form and color, which make for a unity to which the optical variety is subordinated. The estimate is at € 40 000-60 000.

This section’s range of offers is completed by five works that all carry estimates of € 60.000-80.000, these works were made by Edward Cucuel ("Herbstzauber", 1912), Otto Dix ("Alte Birnbäume in Hemmenhofen", 1940), Paul Kleinschmidt ("Sängerinnen", 1926), Leo Putz ("Spiegelbild", 1908) and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff ("Mädchen am Tisch", 1921). In addition there is Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s drypoint etching "Nackte Frau am Fenster, Fehmarn" (Taxe: € 50 000-70 000) and works by renowned artists such as Julius Bissier, Heinrich Campendonk, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, Lyonel Feininger, Erich Heckel, Karl Hubbuch, László Moholy-Nagy, Pablo Picasso and Georg Tappert.

on 2. Post War/Contemporary Art
This section is led by Gerhard Richter’s oil painting "Abstraktes Bild". Made in 1976 and formerly in possession of Ema Richter, it is one of the first works from a period that marked a new beginning in the Dresden painter’s artistic development. After he made the gray pictures, which were a terminal point and a rebuff to figuration in general, the abstract pictures were the beginning of a spectacular recommencement, their lively and pulsating colors evoke very individual perceptions with the observer. The work is estimated at € 100 000-150 000.

With € 120 000-150 000, Enzo Cucchi’s work "Fucile" from 1980/81 reaches similar regions. The artist plays with sculptural elements and places a large-size oil painting of a painted gun next to the ceramic pistol, which seems to shoot the depicted gun in a lucent yellow in front of black. In the end, Cucchi leaves all interpretation to the observer.

With € 100 000-120 000, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s two-piece work "The Gates, Project for Central Park, New York City" from 2003 carries a similarly high estimate. The collage, in which the artists impressively capture both the consistency of the depicted object and the play of light, is not only an independent work of art, but at the same time an impressive document of this swift presentation of beauty. The work was on exhibition in the Metropolitan Museum, New York in 2004.

Günther Uecker’s "Energiefeld" from 1986 is offered for € 90.000-120.000. Despite the materials’ compactness, the large creation in a size of 90 x 90 cm (35.4 x 35.4 in) seems lost in reverie and agravic. This effect is created by the play of light and shadow on a surface that is in the rhythm of a dense tangle of nailheads. In this work the artist merges calmness and motion to a fascinating artistic whole of a silent grace.

The complete opposite can be said about Martin Kippenberger’s object "I am lonely" (estimate: € 50 000-70 000), which is regarded the main work of a series of works drafted around a bronze broomstick. The customary playpen, a common object from childhood days, becomes a metaphor for threat and captivity. It confronts the observer as a mute outcry and an ironic commentary on a child’s anonymous existence.

Several works by Jörg Immendorff will make for excitement at auction, as it is not only his bronze "Affe in der Suppenschüssel" (estimate: € 30 000-40 000) and his acrylic work "Kleine Beschwörung" (estimate: € 13 000-18 000) that will be called up, but also a very appealing bunch of monkeys. The 23 small bronzes with titles such as "Affe zur Umarmung" and "Affe mit Rose" have all been estimated at € 4 000-6 000 each. In October 2009 it was 18 similar figures that made for a sensation at Ketterer Kunst as they were sold without exception and made for an overall result of € 177 000*.

Besides a work without title by Mario Carreño (estimate: € 40 000-60 000) from 1947 and two oil paintings by Fritz Winter, of which one comes from the former provenance of the Fritz-Winter-Foundation, Munich, (estimates: € 40 000-60 000 and € 28 000- 34 0000), other big names are Karel Appel, Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Alexander Calder, Rupprecht Geiger, Keith Haring, Xenia Hausner, Damien Hirst, Paul Jenkins, Fritz Koenig, Markus Lüpertz, Ernst Wilhelm Nay, Sigmar Polke and Victor Vasarely.

* The result is the hammer price plus 22 percent buyer’s premium.