PRESS RELEASE
81st Art Auction im Kinsky
9th November 2010 im Kinsky : Schiele Sensation
Over the past 30 years only two oil paintings by Egon Schiele have been sold at auction in Austria if we exclude the lesser early works produced prior to 1909. Both of these were sold at the im Kinsky Art Auctions.
“Mädchen” (1917) was sold in 1998 for € 3.56 million– until recently the highest price ever offered at an auction in Austria and still by far the highest price ever achieved for a work by an Austrian artist at auction in this country.
In 2005 “Stadtbild von Krumau” (1912) sold for € 1,233,000, another outstanding event which captured world-wide attention.
“Prozession” (1911) is to be the third painting by Egon Schiele, and it is without question the most significant we have ever had. It is estimated to fetch
€ 3.5 to 7 million and will be offered for auction on the evening of 9th November 2010. The fact that an American collector has decided to sell the picture in Vienna rather than in New York can in itself be considered something of a sensation.
1911 was an important year for Egon Schiele. It was the year of his first intense relationships with women, and as such the associated fears and anxieties became the dominant theme of his works. The very personal experience of the death of his father brought home to him how deadly sexuality can be.Becoming and passing away is also the theme in “Prozession”. Three women, a young woman, an older woman and a very old woman who already seems to be fading away, do not just represent various ages, rather they seem to show that Schiele is referring to himself. This is documented by the three corresponding signatures.
It was clear to us from the very beginning that we would not be able to present such a brilliant work at a “regular” auction. Instead, our aim was to hold a special auction, staging an event that combines the very best of Austrian art that has been offered for a long time. Museality, or museum reality, is in a word, what each and every art object in this event surrounding Egon Schiele’s “Prozession” aspires to fulfil.
Classical Modernism
Classical Modernism will be represented by 2 drawings each by Egon Schiele (“Akt mit Strümpfen”, € 100,000 – 200,000) and Gustav Klimt (Stehender Frauenakt, Studie für die linke der Gorgonen im Beethovenfries 1902, € 70,000 – 140,000, Schwangere mit Mann, € 50,000 – 100,000), and includes a portrait of his wife by Herbert Boeckl (€ 100,000 – 200,000), two paintings by Rudolf Wacker (“Herbststrauß”,
€ 150,000 – 300,000 and “Stillleben mit Krug und Puppen", € 100,000 – 200,000), and two works by Albert Birkle (“Die Kreuzigung”, € 50,000 – 100,000 and “Liegende Elsa Starosta”, € 35,000 – 70,000).
19th Century Paintings
The 19th century is represented by two paintings by the most eminent Austrian painter of the period, Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (“Besuch der Großeltern”,
€ 350,000 – 550,000, “An der Brandstätte”, € 100,000 – 200,000). There are two magnificent watercolours by Rudolf von Alt, after Ludwig Hevesi, the most modern 19th century master – “Das Pantheon und die Piazza della Rotonda in Rom”, € 80,000 – 150,000, “Blick in die Reisnerstraße mit dem Rennweg”, € 70,000 – 130,000). A highlight at the auction will be Olga Wisinger-Florian’s “Sommerabend”
(€ 250,000 – 500,000), which was originally part of the Thurn und Taxis collection and which came to the Kinsky from the Leopold collection.
Contemporary Art
26 of the 85 items to be auctioned will be contemporary works of art and will include the artists Maria Lassnig (untitled, 1960, € 100,000 – 200,000), Arnulf Rainer (Spreitz Hand, 1973, € 100,000 – 160,000), Josef Mikl (“Form vor gelbem Hintergrund”, 1960, € 70,000 – 140,000), Friedenreich Hundertwasser (“Cyclon Veena”, 1983/1987, € 130,000 – 180,000), Hermann Nitsch (Reliktbild, Triptychon, 1984/2007, € 100,000 – 150,000) as well as a monumental bronze sculpture by Fritz Wotruba (a posthumous casting of the “Große Figur für Luzern”, 1966/1967, € 120,000 – 200,000). In addition to these, we will find very nearly everyone of note from the school of Austrian contemporary art: Wolfgang Hollegha, Markus Prachensky, Otto Mühl, Herbert Brand, Hubert Scheibl, Walter Navratil, Marc Adrian, Joannis Avramidis and many more.
Jugendstil
Three unique pieces by Josef Hoffmann: Vase, Wiener Werkstätte 1903, € 70,000 – 100,000, Tea Pot, Wiener Werkstätte 1904, € 50,000 – 100,000 and Casket, Wiener Werkstätte, 1918, € 50,000 – 100,000 are some of the outstanding examples of the Jugendstil items to be auctioned. A floor clock by Adolf Loos, Vienna ca. 1897, with a cast brass frame (€ 90.000 – 180.000) is expected to arouse a great deal of interest.
Antiques
There are two Gothic Madonnas worthy of special mention in the Antiques section of the auction: one originated in Salzburg ca. 1430 (€ 90,000 – 150,000), the other in Tyrol during the 15th century (€ 80,000 – 120,000). Until 2009 both pieces were on loan to the Mining and Gothic Museum in Leogang and as such have made their way directly from a public museum to the auction house.
Together, the 85 high-quality paintings and decorative art objects represent an estimated value of some 9 to 17 million Euros.
Please do not hesitate to contact me for any additional information or to place orders for photographs: Iris J. Gradenegger, Tel. +43 1 5324200-11,
E-mail: gradenegger@imkinsky.com
Catalogue orders: +43 1 5324200 or office@imkinsky.com
Online catalogue: www.imkinsky.com
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