002 - Auctions, auctions, auctions and a lexicon
Olafur Eliasson, Supercube star (blue), 2019
© Olafur Eliasson, courtesy the artist und neugerriemschneider, Berlin. Photo by Jens Ziehe, Berlin
Hello Smart Art Lover
Far from the reality of our lives, last week at Sotheby's, Christie's and Co., millions of dollars were put on the table to auction off Francis Bacon and Picasso, amongst other artist works. Good for them. Now, It's auction time in Berlin too. Last week both KvS Auctions and Villa Grisebach put works under the hammer. And my favorite online auctioneer is the topic this week.
Berlin Inner Circle
KvS Auctions held its auction last Thursday, with works directly from the galleries and artists, unlike the usual collectors and consignors. Behind it all is Kilian von Seldeneck, who runs the Berlin branch of the venerable Lempertz auction house with his wife Alice. The whole movement presented itself as the "Berlin Inner Circle": the more or less large galleries of the city supplied the works, everything could be viewed in the very elegant Berlin exhibition rooms of the private collector Julia Stoschek (more about Berlin and private collections in an upcoming issue). 5% of the proceeds will go to the acquisition budget of the Freunde der Nationalgalerie. And the Weberbank, which advertises on the back of the auction catalogue the phrase "The private bank of the capital."
A few magic numbers: two works were auctioned off for over EUR 100,000 - a canvas work by Katharina Grosse with a starting price of EUR 100,000 sold for/to EUR 193,500 and a lamp sculpture by Olafur Eliasson with a starting price of EUR 80,000 sold for/to EUR 141,900. The smallest sums of EUR 3,870 each were achieved for a monotype by Ulrike Theusner (Galerie EIGEN + ART) and two photographic works by Maria Loboda (Galerie Thomas Schulte). No buyer was found for works by Alfredo Jaar, Petra Cortright, Axel Hütte, Sofia Hultén, Richard Deacon and Carolein Smit.
KvS Auction No. 3 - Contemporary art from Berlin galleries and studios
Even more magic numbers
At the same time, Villa Grisebach and its new head of contemporary art, Sarah Miltenberger, auctioned off works last Friday and Saturday from the Renaissance era to the present day. The best results were achieved by a South Sea landscape by Emil Nolde for EUR 949,000, an original copperplate engraving by Albrecht Dürer for EUR 537,500 and a nail painting by Günther Uecker for EUR 525,000. Among contemporaries, the highest results were achieved by a large canvas work by André Butzer for EUR 156,250 and a work by Neo Rauch for EUR 181,250.
Villa Grisebach
Auction 319 - From Dürer to Balkenhol - Selected works
Auction 321 - Contemporary Art
Conny Maier, Kühles Getränk, leider warm, 2020
Courtesy the artist und goeben, Berlin
My online favorite of the week
The Berlin art world lives not only out of galleries, but also the many project spaces. Goeben, formerly Flamingo Berlin, was opened just a year ago by the painter Maximilian Arnold, the project manager Eugenia Brunmaier, and the edition publisher Manuel Rademaker. To finance their further programs and the rent, they are holding a fundraiser auction. For those who don't want to spend millions, works by Berlin artists can be auctioned off for under EUR 1,000. Some are already exhibiting in established galleries - this is your chance.
Einmal alles – alles ein Mal /
Online Auction & Fundraiser
Group Show
July 11 – July 19, 2020
goeben, Berlin
Goldin + Senneby, VWAP Mean Reversion Strategy, 2013
Courtesy the artist and NOME gallery, Berlin
My offline favorite of the week
In my opinion, most artists do not claim to criticize the existing system. And likewise, almost all the galleries I know are emphatically apolitical. NOME in Kreuzberg is a refreshing exception. In the current exhibition, densely hung works by all the artists who have been shown since Luca Barbeni founded the gallery in 2015 are presented. This was my second time in the exhibition and I was fortunate to receive guided tours from the very competent and likeable gallery manager Olga Boiocchi. A very worthwhile visit.
NOME - a lexicon
Groupshow
April 30 - July 26, 2020
NOME, Berlin
Be brave, gentle and smart.
Yours
Florian
