Modern Art

The catalogue starts with a series of selected works from Classical Modernism, some of which come from the estate of Reinhard Piper. Max Beckmann portrayed the Munich publisher (portrait 1,400 - 2,000 EUR), who released a number of selected prints by the artist. Particularly noteworthy is the 'Niggertanz', a work from the series 'Jahrmarkt‘ from the year 1921.

The focus on Pop Art had attracted lots of interest already in June, thus, this December, another large chapter is devoted to this subject. Among the highlights of the offer are Keith Haring's 'Lost Babies' from the 1980s (10,000 - 12,000 EUR) and Roy Lichtenstein's 'Shipboard Girl' from 1965 (18,000 - 20,000 EUR). With Allen Jones' works 'Yellow Figure' (6.000 - 8.000 EUR), 'Free Spirit' (3.500 - 4.500 EUR) and 'Dancing Couple' (2.800 - 3.000 EUR) the medium sculpture is also well represented. Andy Warhol, of course, should not be missing from the Pop Art chapter, selected works of his enrich the offer. The water colours 'Christmas Tree' (6.000 - 8.000 EUR) and 'Merry Christmas Sprites' (6.000 - 8.000 EUR), both created around 1954, set the mood for the upcoming Christmas season.

All lots will be on display during the preview starting on 28 November.

A work from the Pop Art section, the 'Shipboard Girl' by New York artist Roy Lichtenstein (lot 559, estimate price 18,000-20,000 Euro) received the highest hammer price. The colour serigraph elicited a bid of 20,000 Euro from an Austrian bidder.

Works from the Classical Modern period, which started off the auction, already met with great popularity. The watercolour woodcut 'Badende III' by Hermann Max Pechstein from 1911, from the collection of Reinhard Piper, Munich, was sold after a long bidding war over several telephones for 9,000 Euro (lot 507, estimate price 3,500-4,500 Euro). The following lot, Pablo Picasso's 'Plat ovale en Couleur, Poisson Chiné' from 1952 (lot 508, estimate price 9,000-12,000 Euro), will go to Switzerland for an offer of 9,500 Euro.

Just like in June 2019, works by Keith Haring and Andy Warhol, and now also Banksy, were bought at high prices from the Pop Art selection. Keith Haring’s works were particularly coveted. The hammer price for the untitled subway drawing attributed to Haring climbed to 12,000 Euro (lot 538, estimate price 7,000-8,000 Euro). A Swiss client secured the ‚Lost Babies‘ (lot 539, estimate price 10,000-12,000 Euro), which Haring had created in New York in the 1980s in collaboration with Angel Ortiz (LA II), with his telephone bid of 12,000 Euro. Andy Warhol's drawings for the winter season went to two German telephone bidders: The small 'Christmas Tree', created around 1954, was sold for 7,200 Euro (lot 609, estimate price 6,000-8,000 Euro), the 'Merry Christmas Sprites’, from the same period, for 6,000 Euro (lot 610, estimate price 6,000-8,000 Euro). Banksy’s 'Bomb Hugger', a stencil composition he had created on the occasion of an anti-Iraq war demonstration in 2003, was worth 6,600 Euro to a German telephone bidder (lot 517, estimate price 4,500-6,500 Euro).

From the Selected Works section, Max Cole's large abstract composition 'Arabella' from 1999 took the lead (lot 526, estimate price 10,000-12,000 euros). It was sold for a written bid of 12,000 Euro.

*All prices quoted are hammer prices (without surcharge + VAT if applicable + proportional resale right).

You can find our list of results here

Our upcoming Modern Art Auction will focus on 'Picasso - Ceramics & Art' and 'Pop Art’. It will take place on 25 June 2020. From now on we are happy to accept objects.