Auction 1233 and 1234 - Modern and Contemporary Art - Million result with Expressionism

Hermann Max Pechstein’s ‘Selbstbildnis, liegend‘ topped the list of all the high hammer prices achieved in the Evening Sale on Friday and the Day Sale on Saturday. With a result of 3.2 million euro, this key work of German Expressionism is the second-highest price ever realised for a work by Pechstein at auction.

Max Liebermann’s ‘Blumenstauden am Gärtnerhaus nach Osten‘ complimented the top results with an important work of Impressionism. Typical for his work produced in the famous Liebermann Villa on the Wannsee, this painting went to a German private collection for 680,400 euro following a bidding competition between two telephones.

Emil Nolde’s ‘Groteskes Liebespaar’ is a watercolour from the series of fantasies in which Nolde devoted himself to the legendary and mythological. One telephone bidder prevailed in this case and pushed past the estimate of 80,000 to 100,000 euro to buy the sheet for 138,600 euro.

David Hockney’s drawing ‘Grand Hotel Terrace, Vittel’ was very well received in the Contemporary Art. Numerous telephone bidders from Europe and America raised the sheet, estimated at 300,000 euro, to a result of 504,000 euro. It is part of a series Hockney created on a trip through Europe, with sheets such as ‘Grand Hotel terrace, Vittel’ paying special homage to the French culture. It sold to a European bidder.

Two works by Pierre Soulages, who died last year at the age of 102, were particularly sought after and bid up high. One untitled work, lot 43, rose from 196,000 euro to 378,00 euro, whilst the second, lot 44, greatly improved from the expected 70,000 euro to reach a result of 264,600 euro.

The spectacular, albeit atypical canvas ‘Gli Incamminati’ by Piero Dorazio more than doubled in price. The 260 cm wide work rose from 100,000 euro to a result of 214,200 euro and has moved into the European trade.

A collection of works by Joseph Beuys also attracted great interest, in particular a felt suit, ‘Filzanzug’, from 1970. To achieve the winning bid, the estimate of 20,000 euro had to multiply five times to reach 107,100 euro.

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Jan Bykowski
Press and public relations
info@lempertz.com