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 We may hear
of a numerous Auction Houses at the modern market of antiques and each one has
its magnificent history background, its own peculiarities. For example,
Kunsthaus Lempertz Auction House situated in Cologne
is one of the ancient representatives of family auction business in the world
and the most ancient House in Germany.
Antique
trade was in the time of blooming in the middle of XIX century. And this is the
exact time related to the history of many European Auction Houses. Kunsthaus
Lempertz Auction House is not an exception, it was founded in 1845. That year Matthias
Lempertz held a book auction in Bonn
that was the start of the company. Primarily Kunsthaus Lempertz specialized in
books and graphics. And by time antique staff of decorative and applied arts became
a frequent guest at the auction, as well as picturesque and vivid works of
famous artists of the past.
The
management by the Company was assigned to Peter Hanstein in thirty years, and
it was Peter who step-by-step shifted the office of the young Auction House
from Bonn to Cologne. The good standing
of the Company proved to be reliable and even entire collections were exhibited
at the auctions. By the end of the century Kunsthaus Lempertz was acknowledged
as the main Auction House in Germany.
The
specialty of this Auction House was always a successful combination of
adherence to traditions and interest to all new. And Kunsthaus Lempertz is likely
to become a pioneer and guide of Deutsch and European antique business - and
exactly in this place first auctions of
Asian works were conducted in Europe in 1908 ,
and in 1958 the items of modern art were displayed to the auction. The things
of a relatively young artistic practice, that is photos, were first displayed
in Germany
at separate auctions at the Kunsthaus Lempertz Auction in 1989.
Besides,
Kunsthaus Lempertz is the only Auction House in Germany that holds auctions
with abroad. In 1985 in
Brussels Kunsthaus Lempertz Company opened a branch that ensures preparation
and organisation of auctions and deals in provisional applications to take part
in auctions in Cologne.
And the auctions of African art and art works of ocean nations are done since
1992.
Representation
offices of Kunsthaus Lempertz may be found both in Germany and abroad. In the native
land the Auction House is presented in Berlin,
Frankfort on the Main and in Munich. The first overseas office of the Company
was opened in New York
in 1965. At present Kunsthaus Lempertz has representatives in Paris,
Zürich, New York,
Tokyo and Shanghai.
The auction membership at the International Auctioneers, the group uniting
eight large Auction Houses in Europe, allows
active promotion of the art and antique things to the international market.
Kunsthaus Lempertz
Auction House holds about 14 auctions a year divided into two
"sessions» - a
spring (from May till June) and autumn (from November till December).
Period pieces,
things of decorative and applied arts, of modern art, photographs and
works of Eastern Asia art are displayed at the auction, and in
spring a special auction is held dedicated to the art of tribal
nations. Six departments
of Kunsthaus Lempertz each publishes the catalogue with color
illustrations
twice a year about three weeks to the auction start date.
Apart from it,
Kunsthaus Lempertz twice a year holds specialized auctions of antique books and
printed matter. These auctions are held under supervision of Venator &
Hanstein Company, a partner to Kunsthaus Lempertz since 1984. and it was then
when the office of the small Auction House Venator KG, specialized at selling
of antique books and published matters, moved to Kunsthaus Lempertz building in
Neumarkt street,
and changed the name for Venator & Hanstein.
The
building of Kunsthaus Lempertz Auction House should be mentioned
specially. The
house is styled as classicism acquired by the Company in 1918, in 25
years was
bombed and ruined during the World War II and spared the fate of the
majority
of buildings in the center of Cologne.
However, in the shortest time after the end of the war the Company
revives its
activity and, proven to be the main Auction House in Germany, builds
the premises by 1952 in Neumarkt street. In the middle 50s of XX
century
the museums Wallraf-Richartz-Museum and The Roman-Germanic Museum held
exhibitions and in 1965 the Company opens its exhibition halls Gallery
Lempertz
Contempora, where modern art items are displayed as well. The building
of Kunsthaus
Lempertz Auction House was ranked among the historically structures and
entered
into the appropriate register.
In spite of
small number of auctions, as compared with other European Houses, Kunsthaus
Lempertz sets world pricing records. For example, on December 4, 2004 at the
auctions of modern art the work of the famous German artist Kurt Switters «Relief
with yellow square» (oil, plastic, wood, 1928), displayed with the estimate
cost from 800 thousand to 1 million Euro was sold for 1 million and 460 thousand
Euros.
However,
the activity of Kunsthaus Lempertz House is not restricted in selling of
antique staff. The Auction House fully enables to make art works accessible to
open public of national value. That is why
Kunsthaus Lempertz Auction House often acts as a mediator between private
collectors and German museums. Thanks to this activity, The Archbishopric
Museum of the Diocese of Cologne acquired the rarest Roman crucification in elephant
ivory, and German National Museum Nuremberg has an opportunity to purchase two
famous tapestry and valuable Gothic ciborium with pictures in religious themes
in half-translucent enamel.
To
participate at Kunsthaus Lempertz Auction, it is not a must to arrive to
Cologne. The application to buy this or that lot may be faxed, e-mailed or
posted, the application form is proposed at the first pages of the catalogue.
Application for appraisal may be posted, the form may be completed at the
Internet site www.lempertz.com, e-mailed to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or phoned at: +49
(221) 925 7290, fax: +49 (221) 925 7296. Though default participation at the
auction is hardly compared with personal participation at the Auction of the
most ancient Old Houses of Germany.
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