Ketterer Kunst

Ketterer Kunst is the dominant auction house in Germany for nineteenth to twenty-first century art and one of the most important in the entire European Union for its market segment. Headquartered in Munich with branches in Hamburg, Berlin, and Cologne, and representatives in New York and Tokyo, Ketterer Kunst has built a formidable reputation over seven decades as the go-to destination for German Expressionism, Classical Modernism, post-war abstraction, contemporary art, and rare books. The house's origins trace to 1946, when Roman Norbert Ketterer established the Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett in the immediate aftermath of World War II. The first auction catalogue, complete with hand-drawn illustrations and prints by Max Slevogt, was published in September 1946 with a print run of just 500 copies. Roman Norbert's brother Wolfgang joined the enterprise shortly after, and together they built the business through the post-war recovery period. In 1954, what would become the modern Ketterer Kunst was established as a gallery in Stuttgart, and it has remained in the family ever since. Today's owner, Robert Ketterer, took over management in 1994 and has guided the house into the digital age while maintaining its core identity as a specialist in modern and contemporary German and European art. Ketterer Kunst's position as Germany's market leader is well documented. The house consistently ranks in the global top fifteen for its categories and is the only entrepreneur-run auction house to do so. Within the European Union, Ketterer Kunst holds the number one position for art from the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries. This dominance is built on deep expertise in Expressionism, with artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Erich Heckel, Alexej von Jawlensky, and Emil Nolde being regular fixtures in the house's evening sales. The house's major auction events are structured around marquee evening sales of the highest-value lots, supported by day sales and online auctions that cover a broader range of price points and categories. The December 2023 auction week exemplified the house's strength, with five sales over a weekend generating a total of approximately 39.9 million euros after fees, described as the biggest auction event of the year in Germany. Specific highlights included a Wassily Kandinsky painting from 1926 that sold for 3,135,000 euros, an Arnulf Rainer oil from the 1950s that nearly doubled the artist's world record, and an Otto Piene work that sold for more than double its estimate. In June 2024, Ketterer Kunst's evening sale totalled approximately 43.83 million dollars, led by a major work by Alexej von Jawlensky, further cementing the house's position as the premier destination for important German modernist works. Beyond fine art, Ketterer Kunst operates a significant rare books division, handling valuable books, manuscripts, and autographs. This department, known as Ketterer Kunst Rare Books, is a distinctive complement to the art auction business and attracts a dedicated following among bibliophiles and institutional collectors. The buyer's premium at Ketterer Kunst operates on a tiered basis, with rates that have evolved over time. Recent sales have featured structures in the range of 25 percent on lower portions of the hammer price, decreasing to 20 percent and then 19 percent at higher levels. Some sales apply different tiers. Buyers should check the specific conditions for each sale, as rates can vary. For sellers, consigning to Ketterer Kunst is straightforward. The house offers free appraisals either in person at its Munich headquarters or other offices, or through online submission of photographs and descriptions. Given the house's dominant position in German art, consigning works by major German and Austrian artists from the nineteenth century onward is particularly advantageous, as Ketterer's collector base for these categories is unmatched. Seller commissions are negotiated individually. Online bidding is well supported through the Ketterer Kunst website, and the house has been an early and enthusiastic adopter of digital technology. During the pandemic period, the shift to online bidding actually propelled the house to world records in several categories, demonstrating the effectiveness of its digital infrastructure. Ketterer Kunst also maintains an active exhibition programme, with pre-sale viewings at its Munich headquarters and other locations that attract collectors, curators, and scholars from across Europe. The house's sales catalogues are widely regarded as authoritative reference works for German modern art, featuring detailed provenance research and scholarly essays that contribute to the broader art-historical record. The house's comprehensive online archive of past sale results is another valuable resource for collectors and researchers tracking market trends for specific artists and periods. The house's representatives in New York and Tokyo reflect the increasingly international character of the market for German and European modern art. Collectors in Asia and the Americas have become important buyers of Expressionist and post-war German art, and Ketterer's global outreach ensures that these buyers are connected to its sales. Key questions for those considering Ketterer Kunst include what they sell, which centres on fine art from the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries plus rare books. The fee structure features tiered buyer's premiums generally in the 19 to 25 percent range. Consigning begins with a free appraisal available online or in person. Online bidding is robust and well established. What makes Ketterer Kunst stand out is its unrivalled position as Germany's market leader, its deep expertise in Expressionism and German modernism, its family-owned independence, and its complementary rare books division.