30 important works from the estate of Will Grohmann to be sold by Lempertz
This autumn, around 30 works by the pioneers of abstract art from the estate of Will Grohmann and Renate Glück will be coming under the hammer at the Modern and Contemporary Art Auctions taking place in Cologne on 29th and 30th November.
One particular highlight of the sale is a painting by Hans Hartung from 1955 estimated at 100,000 - 150,000 euros. It is one of three works by the documenta participant who is regarded as one of the most important representatives of the Informel movement. Grohmann's close contact with the artist is documented by a personal dedication to the collector in another of Hartung's works from 1962 (estimated price 40,000 - 60,000 euros).
A total of six works by the Stuttgart based painter and graphic artist Willi Baumeister, who was a close friend of Grohmann's, will also be coming under the hammer, including Cézanne auf dem Weg zum Motiv. The artist has also given this work a personal dedication for Grohmann: 'Für Will, herzlichst' (estimated price: 40,000 - 60,000 euros). Some twenty years earlier, Wassily Kandinsky dedicated an ink drawing from 1927, now estimated at 50,000 - 70,000 euros, to him.
The German-French artist Hans Arp is represented by the fine bronze sculpture Petite figure appuyée dite l'égyptienne from 1938 with an estimated price of 80,000 - 100,000 euros. The important work on paper Triebkräfte der Erde by Fritz Winter dating from 1944 has a value of 80,000 - 120,000 euros.
The Spanish-Catalan painter and sculptor Joan Miró is included in the sale with a watercolour and gouache work on paper Femmes et oiseaux dans la nuit with an estimated price of 70,000 - 90,000. Another work by Paul Klee that deserves special mention is the portrait sketch of Frau CII, estimated at 30,000 - 50,000 euros. A total of four works by Hermann Glöckner will also be featured. The early panel Gefaltete Streifen in Weiß und Gelb auf Schwarz from the year is valued at 30,000 - 50,000 euros.
Born in 1887, Will Grohmann was one of the most important German art historians and critics of the 20th century. He maintained close contact with the young painters of the Brücke artist group and was an important supporter of the Bauhaus movement. Grohmann counted numerous artists among his friends, including Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Otto Dix, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Oskar Schlemmer, Willi Baumeister, and Hans Hartung.
Renate Glück, the sister of Will Grohmann's wife Annemarie, was a respected collector who cultivated artistic acquaintances throughout Germany. She managed Grohmann's estate following his death.