Munich, May 02, 2022 (KK) - Works like this are usually called up in London or New York: "Mädchen mit blauen Vögeln" (Girl with Blue Birds) by the famous German expressionist August Macke from 1914. After it has been family-owned for almost 100 years, it is now going to be the highlight of the Evening Sale in this year's spring auction at Ketterer Kunst on June 10/11 in Munich: It is estimated at US$ 2,200,000 - 3,300,000/€ 2,000,000 - 3,000,000..

The artist named the work "Kind mit blauen Vögeln" (Child with Blue Birds), while the catalog raisonné mentions it as "Mädchen mit blauen Vögeln". It is one of the last five works August Macke painted. Made in Bonn in June and July of 1914 right after his noted Tunisian journey, it marked a last peak in his œuvre. "It was like he was working in a frenzy, a fever, trying to make sure to paint as much of what he had set himself as goal," recalls Macke's wife Elisabeth in her memoirs that were published in 1962. A few weeks later - on August 1, 1914 - Germany mobilized and August Macke's creative period of only ten years came to an abrupt ending. At the young age of 27, the young soldier fell in battle in Perthes-les-Hurius in the Champagne just a few weeks later on September 26.

"In 'Mädchen mit blauen Vögeln', Macke's years of occupation with the theme of paradise find dazzling culmination," says Robert Ketterer, auctioneer and head of Ketterer Kunst, "No one but him was able to express the longing for paradise lost so powerful and yet so lyrical."

From an art-historical angle the work is of a tremendous significance, too, as it is a document of Macke's entirely new, almost one-of-a-kind approach to a leitmotif of his creation. In other works his version of paradise usually is an Arcadian everyday scene. We all know his pensive strollers in zoos and parks, the tender family pictures, that give account of Macke's private vision of paradise. In 'Mädchen mit blauen Vögeln' it is entirely different: The arcane, almost mystic depth this picture has captures even today's observers in an instant. This may perhaps explain why the work can be understood as a profound and touching allegory of August Macke's very own reality on the eve of Word War I.

In this light it is little surprising that the art historian Walter Cohen wanted to see the work "preferably in a German museum" in 1920, as it was, he concluded in 1924, a highlight "not only of Macke's, but of all of German art of the historical year 1914." Indeed, today similar works can be found at the Kunstmuseum Bonn, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the St. Louis Art Museum.

Elisabeth Erdmann-Macke, the artist's widow, also had a very special relationship with the picture. When she saw it again in the important exhibition "Deutsche Kunst unserer Zeit" in 1945, she noted in her journal: " 'Kind mit blauen Vögeln' all alone on the wall, a point of rest emanating glow and shine. What a dream world, like a childhood paradise, for which we will forever long".

"A similar museum piece by August Macke was only offered once on the international auction market in the past twenty years," explains Nicola Gräfin Keglevich, Senior Director at Ketterer Kunst. "And we know that Macke's works that fetch the highest prices come from this creative period. We expect Macke to be the 2022 june auction highlight."

A look at the impressive exhibition history underlines the rank of this painting. And on top - a rare piece of luck - an entirely consistent provenance: It remained in the artist's estate until 1928, then it went into the collection of the Krefeld silk industrialist Erich Raemisch, who had one of the most distinguished collections of modern art before the war. Up until today the work is still family-owned.

"Mädchen mit blauen Vögeln" is interesting in another regard: The just wanly varnished reverse shows Macke's composition "Drei Frauen am Tisch" from 1912.

The work from August Macke is the highlight of the EVENING SALE on June 10, 2022, which also includes works from "THE GERLINGER COLLECTION - BRÜCKE ARTISTS" such as Erich Heckel's "Kinder" (estimate: US$ 640,239-853,652/€ 600,000-800,000), Max Pechstein's oil painting "In der Hängematte" (estimate: US$ 320,120-426,826/€ 300,000-400,000) and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's "Wintermondnacht" (estimate: US$ 266,766-373473/€ 250,000-350,000), as well as more works by Brücke artists.

The auction also comprises fascinating works of MODERN ART, among them the oil painting by Emil Nolde called "Rittersporn und Silberpappeln" (estimate: US$ 533,533-750,000/€ 500,000-700,000), Max Beckmann's "Holländischer Radfahrerweg" (estimate: US$ 320,120-426,826/€ 300.000-400.000) and André Derain's "Arbres aux environs de Martigues" (estimate: US$ 107,000-160,000/€ 100,000-150,000). Other big names in this department are Lovis Corinth, Karl Hofer, Käthe Kollwitz, Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Max Liebermann, Gabriele Münter, Pablo Picasso and Renée Sintenis.

The section of POST WAR ART offers captivating pieces like Gerhard Richter's "Abstraktes Bild 665-4"" (estimate: US$ 640,000-854,000/€ 600,000-800,000), Cindy Sherman's photograph "Untitled #282" (estimate: US$ 474,000-579,000/€ 450,000-550,000), Pierre Soulage's "Peinture" (estimate: US$ 427,000-640,000/€ 400,000-600,000), Konrad Lueg's "Fussballer" (estimate: US$ 190,000-320,120/€ 180,000-300,000) and Andy Warhol's color silkscreen "Goethe" (estimate: US$ 192,000-256,000/€ 180,000-240,000). More top-class art comes from, among others, Horst Antes, Stephan Balkenhol, Eduardo Chillida, Katharina Grosse, Konrad Klapheck, Ernst Wilhelm Nay and Steven Perrino.

Ketterer Kunst (www.kettererkunst.com and www.ketterer-internet-auctions.com) with headquarters in Munich and branches in Hamburg, Duesseldorf, Berlin as well as with a global network of representatives in, among others, the USA and Brazil, was founded in 1954. The auction house has a focus on Fine Art from the 19th to the 21st Century and Rare Books. In its market segment Ketterer Kunst is not only Germany's number one but also the leading house in the European Union. Ketterer Kunst is a specialist for German art, as well as for many international artist who are sought-after on the European market and who regularly realize record prices at Ketterer Kunst. According to the annual 2021 artprice database, Ketterer Kunst is the only and best-selling family business represented in the global Top 15.

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