Munich, October 4, 2018 (kk) - Gerhard Richter's black and white photo pictures from the 1960s are among the artist's internationally most sought-after works. The "Porträt Schniewind" is going to be called up in the auctions at Ketterer Kunst in Munich from 6 - 8 December with an estimate price of € 800,000-1,200,000.

The slightly blurred portrait of the Rhenish businessman and acclaimed art collector Willy Schniewind is part of a small series of portraits that Gerhard Richter made in context of his first solo show and on the initiative of the legendary Duesseldorf gallery owner Alfred Schmela. It is one of three portraits of the recognized sports officer Schniewind. Just as it is the case with this work, one of the two other works also used to be part of the art collection of Fänn and Willy Schniewind. The third version, once in possession of the ZERO artist Günther Uecker, can now be admired at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Next to the technically refined oil painting "Willy Schniewind", the auction also comprises the two other works "Rhombus" and "18.4.88" (estimates up to € 350,000) by the ingenious artist from Dresden.

Günther Uecker's work "Zärtlicher Garten" (Gentle Garden) from 1964 has been estimated at € 600,000-800,000 and is one of the artist's early large-size nail pictures from his ZERO period. The work also leads an array of around a dozen works by Uecker, of which more than half a dozen will be offered with estimates in six-digit realms. The work "Light-Disk (Light Box)" is particularly interesting, as it is one of the artist's very rare engine-driven light disks. The estimate is at € 300,000-400,000.

Ernst Wilhelm Nay's oil painting "Streifen" from 1967 and the "Mäanderlied (28.VII.91/2.VIII.91)" by Georg Baselitz will both enter the race with the same aforementioned estimate price. The latter work, which is particularly impressive for its tremendous format, was executed between July 18 and August 2, 1991 on a canvas that the artist had spread out on the floor of his studio. It is a remarkable art-historical document of the work period that began after 1990 in which the artist once more reverted to the expressive figurative motifs of his "Heroes" from the 1960s, now presented upside down. The work's provenance is just as exciting as the work itself, as it used to be in possession of the internationally acclaimed art dealer Taddeus Ropac. Up until 2015 it was part of the important collection of the publisher Alfred Neven DuMont from Cologne.

In 1921 the Weimar Bauhaus masters created a remarkably diverse portfolio with woodcuts, etchings and colored lithographs. The complete first portfolio with 14 sheets comprises works by Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee and Oskar Schlemmer and has been estimated at € 150,000-180,000.

Those who would like to call Alexej von Jawlensky's "Abstrakter Kopf: Erleuchtung II" from 1919 their own will have to dig deeper into their pockets, as the oil painting carries an estimate of € 200,000-300,000. The small-size paper work is particularly captivating for a strong composition that is reduced to a minimum as well as its excellent freshness and luminance.

Next to Lovis Corinth's still live "Chrysanthemen im Krug", which is expected to fetch € 180,000-250,000, Carl Hofer's "Hinduknabe" and Otto Dix's "Gletscher im Engadin" from 1938 are two other highlights. The estimate of both is at € 180,000-240,000.

The sculpture section is led by Max Bill's heavy-weight large bronze "strebende kräfte einer kugel" that has been estimated at € 250,000-300,000.

Another sculpture that will guarantee a thrill in the saleroom is Wilhelm Lehmbruck's 90 cm tall "Gebeugter weiblicher Torso" from 1912/13, which is one of the very rare stone casts of this motif. World-wide only one copy is in possession of a public collection. The estimate price for one of the most famous expressionist works by the artist is at € 160,000-180,000.

Apart from several watercolors by Emil Nolde (with estimates up to € 150,000) and paintings by Fritz Winter ("Triebkräfte der Erde" and "Später Sommer", estimates up to € 120,000) and Max Liebermann's "Reiter in einer Allee" (estimate: € 150,000-250,000) as well as Joseph Beuys' "Minneapolis Fragment" (estimate: € 100,000-150,000), other remarkable works come from Stephan Balkenhol, Karin Kneffel, Imi Knoebel, Otto Mueller, Gabriele Münter and Fritz Wotruba.

Previews
November 01-03        Ketterer Kunst Holstenwall 5,  20355 Hamburg*
November 06-08        Fabian & Claude Walter Galerie, Rämistrasse 18,  8024 Zuerich, CH*
November 12/13        Galerie Schwind Fahrgasse 8 ,  60311 Frankfurt*
November 16-19        Ketterer Kunst Malkastenstr. 11,  40211 Düsseldorf*
November 23-29        Ketterer Kunst Fasanenstr. 70,  10719 Berlin*
December 02-07        Ketterer Kunst Joseph-Wild-Str. 18,  81829 Munich**
* selected works ** all works *** source: www.artprice.com

Auctions in Munich
06-08 December       20th Century Classics / Ketterer Contemporary