Modern Art - Meditation

At the top was Albert Giacometti with two important bronze sculptures for € 2,676,000. A painting by Alexej von Jawlensky reached € 454,000, an early picture by Gabriele Münter sold for € 113,500, and a canvas by Heinrich Hoerle for € 353,000. A significant ink drawing by Picasso came particularly into play for € 277,000, and a small painting by Georges Seurat for € 246,000. A result of € 189,000 was seen for a watercolour by Paul Cézanne, € 139,000 for a painting by Max Slevogt, whilst a paper work by Salvador Dali and a canvas by Mela Muter both reached € 126,000.

The monument design ‘Projet pour un monument pour Gabriel Péri. Projet pour une place’ from the year 1946 is a significant milestone in the oeuvre of Alberto Giacometti. It displays for the first time the key motif of the striding man which would come to dominate his further work and ultimately culminate in his most famous piece, the life-size ‘L’homme qui marche’ from 1960. The two bronze sculptures measure 39.2 x 10.9 x 18.6 cm and 18.5 x 9.2 x 12.7 cm, and were cast like the seven others in 1993/1994. It has now been taken over by a private collection for € 2,676,000 (lot 38, € 1.8 – 2.2 million).

Several works came from an important Rhenish private collection (from which further works were consigned to the Contemporary Art), including the 1913 canvas ‘Kopf’ by Alexej von Jawlensky, which has now gone to a South German private collection for € 454,000 (lot 71, € 300/400,000). The 1935 painted paper work ‘Meditation. Ein Brausen kam einher’ reached € 88,000 (lot 13, € 40/60,000), whilst a painting on card from the same year, ‘Meditation. Vergesse mich nicht’, rose to € 75,500 (lot 72, € 40/60,000). Heinrich Hoerle’s characteristic canvas ‘Arbeiter’ from 1931 was formerly in the collection of August Sander. The market-fresh painting is one of Hoerle’s last oil paintings, for the painter turned to the technique of wax crayon on paper from 1932. Our large-format, prominent painting of museum quality can be counted as one of the most important in Hoerle’s oeuvre. A Rhenish private collector invested € 353,000 in the noteworthy picture (lot 75, € 200/300,000). A further painting from the same collection was ‘Häsuer am Wald’, painted by Gabriele Münter in 1911. Promising post-sale negotiations are under discussion for this work (lot 10, € 300/350,000).

Amongst Pablo Picasso’s works shone his important brush and India ink pen drawing ‘Char et Personnages’ from 1967 with the provenance of Kahnweiler and Leiris, and which has now moved to a North German private collection for € 277,000 (lot 30, € 250/300,000). Further outstanding works came from France: Georges Seurat’s ‘Dans la rue’ from 1882/1883 was formerly on long-term loan to the Wallraf Richartz Museum Fondation Courboud in Cologne. A Swiss dealer has invested € 246,000 for the picture (lot 32, € 150/200,000). Paul Cézanne painted his watercolour and graphite pencil work ‘Entrée de maison et arbres’ in the period 1895–1900. The work has now been acquired by a German bidder for € 189,000 (lot 33, € 130/150,000). A Spanish dealer was the winner of Salvador Dali’s 1937 charcoal, ink, gouache and opaque white ‘Industrial Life – Prémonition de la guerre civil’ for a bid of € 126,000. Dalí's critique of the cynicism that underlies civilisational processes and political developments is obvious in this important drawing of pictorial composition which allows a range of different interpretations, even today. The subtitle is a direct reference to one of the artist's main works, his painting ‘Construction molle avec haricots bouillis - Prémonition de la guerre civile’ of 1936 (lot 78, € 120/140,000).

Max Slevogt’s canvas ‘Haus in Gródramstein – Wolfgang mit Ziege’ from the year 1909 was highly sought after and rose from the estimate of € 60/80,000 up to € 139,000, bid by a Swiss collector. With short and longer strokes, dabs and, in some places, impasto patches of light pink, gold-shimmering beige and every nuance of green, a magnificent summer day in Slevogt’s adoptive homeland of the Palatinate is depicted (lot 47).

Mela Muter’s canvas, painted probably in around 1940, to the front with ‘Ansicht von Avignon’ and verso with ‘Mutter mit Kind’, sold for € 126,000 (lot 58, € 80/100,000), whilst a Polish dealer acquired a further painting by the artist, ‘Portrait eines Literaten’ from the 1920s for € 75,600 (lot 59, € 50/60,000). Gabriele Münter’s powerfully colourful ‘Javanerkind (Javanerin)’ from 1908 surpassed its € 60/80,000 estimate to sell for € 113,500 (lot 9), while Bruno Goller’s much-exhibited canvas ‘Der Kleiderschrank’ from 1947 found interest and was raised from € 35/40,000 up to € 94,500 (lot 2). One painting now going to a museum, namely in Munich, is August Macke’s canvas ‘Zwei Kämpfende’ from the year 1910 which sold for € 67,500 (lot 61, € 60,000).

A German record for a work by Ella Bergmann-Michel was reached with a result of € 50,500. The 1923 work ‘The lection of light’ (coloured and black India ink over pencil on paper, collaged), now moves to a Hessian collection (lot 184, € 8/12,000). Her husband, Robert Michel, also achieved a record, for a post-war work on paper with € 19,000 (lot 185, € 6/8,000).

Auction Dates

Auction 1211 - Evening Sale - Modern Art

Photography Post War & Contemporary Art Modern Art
Friday 02. 12. 2022, 06:00 pm
Lot 1 - 99
Auction 1211
Auction
Cologne
Friday, December 2, 2022
6 pm

Lot 1 – 99

The auction will be streamed live at www.lempertz.com.
Preview
Cologne
Saturday, November 26, 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday, November 27, 11 am – 4 pm
Monday, November 28 – Thursday, December 1, 10 am – 5.30 pm

Vernissage
Friday, November 25, 6 pm

Berlin (a selection), Poststr. 22
Thursday, November 10, 6 pm – 9 pm
Friday, November 11, 11 am – 5 pm
Saturday, November 12, 11 am – 5 pm
Catalogue
PDF-Catalogue

Auction 1212 - Day Sale - Modern Art

Photography Post War & Contemporary Art Modern Art
Saturday 03. 12. 2022, 11:00 am
Lot 100 - 253
Auction 1212
Auction
Cologne
Saturday, December 3, 2022
11 am

The auction room is kept free of germs and viruses by a UVC filter system. The auction will be streamed live at www.lempertz.com.
Preview
Cologne
Saturday, November 26, 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday, November 27, 11 am – 4 pm
Monday, November 28 – Thursday, December 1, 10 am – 5.30 pm

Vernissage
Friday, November 25, 6 pm

Berlin (a selection), Poststr. 22
Thursday, November 10, 6 pm – 9 pm
Friday, November 11, 11 am – 5 pm
Saturday, November 12, 11 am – 5 pm
Catalogue
PDF-Catalogue

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 0221/92 57 29–30.

Edgar Abs
Press and public relations
Cologne, Dezember 2022