In a special summer issue of Art+Auction, which will be published in installments on ARTINFO this month, we bring you the information you need to navigate the vast auction market. We’ve assembled the top 250 houses, along with some of their most notable sales, as well as insider takes from 50 CEOs and specialists on the past year and the changes ahead. Below you’ll find Q&As with auction house leaders based in Munich and Stuttgart. To see other installments from the special issue, click here.
KETTERER KUNST
Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, and Düsseldorf, Germany
ESTABLISHED: 1954
SPECIALTIES: Old Masters, postwar and contemporary art, 19th-century art, rare books
CONTACT: kettererkunst.com, +49 89 55 2440
Robert Ketterer, Auctioneer, Owner, and Managing Director
What was your most successful auction in the past year?
Our latest Munich auction, Modern Art and Post War/Contemporary Art, in June 2015.
Which lot was the most exciting or surprising?
Zero artist Günther Uecker’s nail object Hommage à Paul Scheerbart (Scheerbartwesen), which climbed from an estimate of €300,000 ($330,000) to €1,875,000 ($2.1 million).
Is there an artist, market, or medium you think is overlooked right now? Something you’d invest in?
Next to contemporary artists such as Jonas Burgert, Chuck Close, Martin Eder, and Karin Kneffel, I think that it would be worthwhile to have a closer look at Art Informel. Even though some artists, like Emil Schumacher, achieve high results— like the one we just obtained for his Alf I, which sold for €306,250 ($337,000), or even for Kazuo Shiraga’s Chijikusei Gotenrai, which sold for €3,250,000 ($3.6 million) in December—there are others, like Karl Fred Dahmen, Gerhard Hoehme, Winfred Gaul, Karl Otto Götz, Hans Hartung, Georges Mathieu, Bernard Schultze, and Fred Thieler, that can be purchased for less. Their works very often are available not only in the five-digit but even in the four-digit realm.
How have online auctions changed the way you do business?
Due to the cost factor, there is a variety of works up to about €3,000 that we can no longer present in our printed catalogues. Online auctions allow us to still offer them to our clients.
What other trends do you see influencing the market?
In my opinion the art market isn’t permanently subject to new trends. The most important factor is and always will be the confidence in the artist and the auction house. If this is a constant, the online auction market will grow as well.
What part of your business saw the most growth in 2014?
The demand for postwar and contemporary art is definitely growing exponentially. This is owing not only to the scarcity of great Old Masters and modern classics but also to problems regarding authenticity and provenances in these fields. The key factor, however, is the great quality of postwar and contemporary art available. It also depends on the buyer’s sociocultural background. This segment is [very much of the moment], serving a new generation of art collectors looking for their very own style and way of expression.
Where would you like to take the company in the next several years?
The way to the top wasn’t easy; however, remaining [at the top] will be even harder. Quality and trust are the two main issues we will continue to focus on. This will not only make for attractive live auctions and further growth in the online auction market, allowing for works with estimates of up to €10,000 to be sold online. Above all, it will keep our client and business partner relationships healthy and enjoyable—the most important thing of all.
What one thing do you wish more collectors knew?
I wish more collectors knew that auction houses today also provide the qualified guidance that only art dealers offered in the past.
Do you have a collecting obsession? If so, what purchase are you most proud of?
My personal passion is not with a particular artist. Due to our auction house’s wide range of offerings, my interests are also quite diversified. However, the purchases that I am most proud of are the ones that touch my heart.
Have you ever wildly overpaid for something you bought yourself?
For objects that really touch your heart, you generally pay way too much.
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HAMPEL AUCTIONS
Munich, Germany
SPECIALTIES: Old Masters, modern and contemporary art, Asian art, Russian art, antiquities, decorative arts, furniture, prints and engravings, books
CONTACT: hampel-auctions.com, office@hampel-auctions.com, +49 89 28 8040
Vitus Graupner, Executive Partner
What was your most successful auction in the past year?
There have been a number of great and delightful events in the past year.
Which lot was the most exciting or surprising?
The most exciting moment took place in our March sale: lot 839, the important natural pearl and diamond pendant earrings, was sold for €1,200,000 ($1.3 million) after intense bidding. We are especially happy about the fact that the previous owner donated part of the proceeds to a charitable cause.
How have online auctions changed the way you do business?
For us, they are an even better way to stay in touch with our already international clientele. Furthermore, online auctions help to reach new potential clients.
What other trends do you see influencing the market?
The market focuses more and more on high-quality objects, which tend to reach very high prices. Also, there seems to be a still-growing interest in investing in art.
What part of your business saw the most growth in 2014?
Our newest department, for luxury goods, is thriving. We offer handbags—mostly by Hermès—jewelry, and fine wristwatches.
Where would you like to take the company in the next several years?
We would like to continue to offer exciting and interesting art objects to our clients. Also, we are working to use the new social media further.
What one thing do you wish more collectors knew?
I think most collectors underestimate how much effort it can take to find great pieces for their collections.
Do you have a collecting obsession? If so, what purchase are you most proud of?
My wife actually is in charge of our private collection, so you would have to ask her. But I am always very pleased by her great taste.
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HERMANN HISTORICA
Munich, Germany
SPECIALTIES: Arms and armor, firearms, antiquities, orders and decorations, historical objects, historical militaria, hunting collectibles
CONTACT: hermann-historica.de, contact@hermann-historica.com, +49 89 54 726490
Wolfgang Hermann, Founder and Co-owner
What was your most successful auction in the past year?
We achieved very good results in the spring 2014 and 2015 sales, as well in the autumn sale last year.
Which lot was the most exciting or surprising?
The sale of a Tibetan khatvanga, or ritual scepter, with inlays of gold and silver, dating from the 15th century, a significant era in the history of the country. As bids for the exceptionally rare artifact from the slopes of the Himalayas quickly jumped from €9,500 ($13,000) to the spectacular final selling price of €85,000 ($118,000), the nail- biting tension was palpable in the room, down the telephone wires, and on the Internet.
Is there an artist, market, or medium you think is overlooked right now? Something you’d invest in?
We think that currently, in particular, ancient arms and armor do not experience the appreciation they deserve as works of art. But we think that in a few years the market for these items will increase enor- mously, when new collectors have joined the community who realize the unique quality of craftsmanship.
How have online auctions changed the way you do business?
The Internet is well established as the fourth channel, apart from the written bids, the direct contact to the audience in the room, and the telephone wires. Today nearly 20 percent of all our winning lots have been sold to Internet bidders.
What other trends do you see influencing the market?
Another more delightful trend is that new aficionados who have not made an appearance up to now are starting to build up collections. American, European, and Middle Eastern newcomers are joined increasingly by Chinese collectors.
What part of your business saw the most growth in 2014?
International orders and medals, especially, reported excellent growth.
Do you have a collecting obsession? If so, what purchase are you most proud of?
I believe in my soul I am a collector, but that’s a hindrance in this profession, so I am very reluctant.
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NAGEL AUKTIONEN
Stuttgart, Germany
ESTABLISHED: 1922
SPECIALTIES: Fine art and antiques, modern and contemporary art, Asian art
CONTACT: auction.de, +49 711 649 690
Uwe Jourdan, CEO
What was your most successful auction in the past year?
Our Asian art auctions were the most successful. With this year’s Asian art sales figures exceeding €20 million ($22 million), Nagel Auktionen ranks, as in past years, among Europe’s leading auction houses.
Which lot was the most exciting or surprising?
The last example for this kind of exciting lot was a rare gilt-bronze Tibeto-Chinese figure of the Buddhist death deity Yamantaka from the first half of the 15th century, which started at €50,000 ($56,000) and, after a thrilling bidding battle, was finally sold for almost €700,000 ($783,000). Another was a silver cutlery set composed of 180 pieces, presented with its original case, that was designed by the important German Art Nouveau artist Richard Riemerschmid, starting off at €12,000 ($14,000) and climbing up to €266,000 ($317,000) in the end.
Is there an artist, market, or medium you think is overlooked right now? Something you’d invest in?
From my point of view, art ceramics from the second half of the 20th century actually deserve more appreciation. Here you may find one jewel or another for comparably moderate prices.
How have online auctions changed the way you do business?
The ongoing use of the Internet obviously makes it easier to access the art market and thus also ensures its accessibility to everyone. This leads to a growing number of international clients—consignors as well as bidders. But the actual impact of those ever-growing Internet auctions remains rather marginal for us. We’ve offered live auctioning with online participation since the 1990s, but in the end it is still the auction room where all bids come together.
What part of your business saw the most growth in 2014?
Modern and contemporary art continues to thrive, without any doubt. And the end of this particular development is not in sight. In 2014 we also registered a growing popularity of European art amongst Asian buyers.
Where would you like to take the company in the next several years?
In the next years we will expand our excellent position in the field of Chinese art, and we will also purposefully address the Asian market with European art.
What one thing do you wish more collectors knew?
I wish more collectors knew about the advantages of auction houses in general and, of course, about Nagel Auktionen in particular. And I wish they knew how much fun an auction can be.
Do you have a collecting obsession? If so, what purchase are you most proud of?
I come from an art-loving family. Personally, I collect high-quality pieces of art of all areas and genres that fascinate me, even though a certain predilection for Chinese art cannot be denied. I am especially proud of one of my most recent acquisitions, an underglaze-blue porcelain garden stool from the Kangxi period, now decorating my garden.
Have you ever wildly overpaid for something you bought yourself?
Did I not just mention this garden stool from the Kangxi period?
