Munich, June 18, 2019, (kk) - Around € 30 million*, not including direct sales, that's the spectacular result of Ketterer Kunst for the first auction term in 2019. The leading German Auction House did not only beat its previous top figures, it also grossed the highest proceeds in all of Germany by far. A total of 56 results between € 100,000* and € 1,000,000*, of which two above the million euro line, as well as a number of record sales set a new benchmark.

            TOP 10

           Result         Calling Price   Lot No  Artist                       Title
1)    € 2,500,000* € 1,250,000 Lot 128  Wassily Kandinsky - Treppe zum Schloss (Murnau) => Record**
2)    € 1,125,000* € 300,000 Lot 168  Andy Warhol - Portrait of a Lady
3)    € 625,500*   € 250,000 Lot 144   Ernst Ludwig Kirchner - Drehende Tänzerin
4)    € 500,000*   € 210,000 Lot 140   Daniel Richter - Alles ohne Nichts => Record**
4)    € 500,000*   € 330,000 Lot 114   Günther Uecker -Baum
5)    € 437,500*   € 290,000 Lot 100  Hermann Max Pechstein - Damenbildnis. Verso Liegender Akt
5)    € 437,500*   € 250,000 Lot 096  Franz Marc - Zwei Pferde. Verso: Zwei stehende Mädchenakte...
6)    € 412,500*   € 200,000 Lot 094   Günther Uecker -Feld der Erwartungen – Hommage ...
7)    € 400,000*   € 100,000 Lot 159   Wojciech Fangor - E9 => Record**
8)    € 375,000*   € 180,000 Lot 138   Cy Twombly - Untitled (Notes from a Tower)
9)    € 362,500*   € 180,000 Lot 137   Cy Twombly - Untitled (Notes from a Tower)
9)    € 362,500*   € 250,000 Lot 136   Joseph Beuys - 6 Hasensteine
10)  € 350,000*   € 200,000  Lot 134  Ernst Wilhelm Nay - Lob des Grau
10)  € 350,000*   € 180,000  Lot 150  Alex Katz - Sophie => Record**

"In the light of the currently tense market setting this superlative result is almost a small sensation, especially since other houses with a comparable range faced big problems in finding top class objects and had to accept sharp declines in sales", says auctioneer and company owner Robert Ketterer. He continues: "With the highest season result in the 65 years of our company's history we continue the solidification of our position as Germany's number one auction house the third consecutive year. The demand for high-class artworks remains strong and", he adds with an outlook on the second term, "the conditions for the grand finale of our Anniversary Year could not be better. We have already been entrusted with a number of very promising masterpieces."

Next to the new auction program with the five catalogs Limited Editions, Young Collectors, Modern Art, Post War/Contemporary Art and Evening Sale, the moderate estimate prices for high-quality objects are a key ingredient for success. Art lovers feel attracted and will eventually provide record results, as the sum of around 26.5 million* grossed for Art of the 20th/21st Century alone delivers impressive proof of.

Accordingly, all TOP 10 works come from this segment. A total of 50 works reached or crossed the magic € 100,000* line. The two million-euro-objects, Wassily Kandinsky's "Treppe zum Schloss (Murnau)", which also set a new German Auction Record**, and Andy Warhol's "Portrait of a Lady", are representative of the range of premium works Ketterer Kunst offers. Besides the strong performance of works by international superstars like Lyonel Feininger, Alex Katz and Cy Twombly, the specialist for works by artist with close German ties once more showed its expertise. Top results were realized in this segment for, among others, works by Georg Baselitz, Max Beckmann, Max Ernst, Rupprecht Geiger, Gotthard Graubner, Werner Heldt, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Franz Marc, Ernst Wilhelm Nay, Daniel Richter, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Günther Uecker.

A total of more than € 1.3 million* was grossed in the Department of 19th Century Art. The small range of 95 select works was met with brisk demand, as a sales quota of 78% by lots and around 30% first time buyers show. Apart from classics by Karl Hagemeister, Friedrich Kallmorgen, Alexander Koester, Franz von Lenbach and Hans Thoma, all seven works by Carl Spitzweg were particularly popular with the art lovers. Next to German records for works by Peder Mørk Mønsted and Edward Theodore Compton, Sascha Schneider's bronze "Jünglingsbüste mit ägyptischer Kopfbedeckung" set a new World Record** for a work by this artist with a result of € 60,000*.

The Department of Rare Books closes the spring season with more than € 2.2 million*. It is the department's best result ever. According to Christoph Calaminus, auctioneer and managing director of the department, "continuous innovations are the key to success. We have never offered such a reduced yet select range of objects before. That was a bold and trendsetting step." Indeed, the concept, which puts focus on the presentation of a reduced number of objects, led to excellent results. It was the first time that the evening sale alone saw three lots selling for six-figure sums.

The TOP Results by Department for the first half of 2019

The family company Ketterer Kunst (www.kettererkunst.com and www.ketterer-internet-auctions.com), with headquarters in Munich and branches in Hamburg, Duesseldorf, Berlin and the USA, was founded in 1954. It is one of the leading European houses for auctions of Fine Art from the 19th to the 21st Century and Rare Books. The latest art market review for Fine Art 2018, compiled by artprice.com, ranks Ketterer Kunst on place 16 in the global TOP 100. The auctioneer's clientele predominantly consists of international collectors, art dealers, curators and museums.

*    The result is the hammer price + 25% in the auctions in Munich. The (rounded) result in the Rare Books Department in Hamburg is the hammer price + 23 % buyer’s premium.
**   Source: www.artprice.de