In 2022 the news was impressive: the art collection of the entrepreneur Gerlinger, worth millions, will be auctioned, including works by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff from Chemnitz. What happened to him?
chemnitz/Munich.
When the proclamation was made in January 2022, an outcry arose in the art world: One of the most valuable private collections with works by the “Brücke” art group would be put up for auction – and thus perhaps swept away to the four winds and closed behind closed doors with new private collectors. the “Brücke”, founded in Dresden in 1905, existed until 1913 and is considered one of the most important associations of Colour Expressionist artists, and is closely linked to the chemnitz region. its founding members come from here: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff from Chemnitz, Fritz Bleyl from zwickau, Erich Heckel from Döbeln and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, born in Aschaffenburg, raised for a while in Chemnitz. The auctions are expected to take place in several tranches from 2022 to the end of this year at the Ketterer-Kunst auction house in Munich.How did the auctions go?
Millions for Kirchner and Schmidt-Rottluff
“The Blue Girl in the Sun” by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was sold at auction for 4,750,000 euros, obtaining the highest proceeds. Image: Ketterer Kunst gmbh&CoKG
“The Blue Girl in the Sun” by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was auctioned for 4,750,000 euros,obtaining the highest proceeds. Image: Ketterer Kunst GmbH&CoKG
“A large part of the collection has been put up for auction, we are only offering a few individual pieces, but we are assuming that everything will be sold by the end of the year. In certain specific cases expectations were exceeded,” explains Anja Häse, spokeswoman for the auction house.among the top three sales are Kirchner’s “The Blue Girl in the sun” for 4,750,000 euros, Kirchner’s “Crouching” wooden statue for 4,290,000 euros and Schmidt-Rottluff’s “Reading” painting for just over four million euros. This last painting was auctioned in 2022 and, according to the auction house at the time, caused a sensation: the painting, which depicts the poet Else Lasker-Schuler, was auctioned with an estimated price of ” only” 700,000 euros, the “considerable proceeds”. According to Ketterer, the price of just over four million euros represents a record for a work by the artist in continental Europe or third place in the ranking world wide. Schmidt-Rottluff’s nude painting “Red Dune” from 1913 brought in further millions of euros,amounting to 1,945,000. However, according to spokeswoman Häse, they do not want to say how much money the entire collection of around 1,000 objects - which ranges from paintings and graphics to jewelery and self-produced documents – was sold for – because discretion is the top priority at auctions.
The man behind the collection
The former entrepreneur Hermann Gerlinger from Würzburg had collected the collection over decades, knew Schmidt-Rottluff personally and had made his collection available on loan to museums, including the Moritzburg Art Museum in Halle. However, there were differences between collectors and museums, also regarding the type of presentation, so much so that Gerlinger eventually decided to withdraw the collection from the museums and have it auctioned by the ketterer-Kunst auction house for charity. The proceeds will benefit the German Foundation for Monument Protection, the BUND for Nature Conservation and the Juliusspital Foundation in Würzburg.
Many collectors attending the auctions came from German-speaking countries, says Häse. “But what is also notable is the interest from abroad in the works of the ‘Brücke’, especially from the United States. Indeed, some works have gone to American museums.” In addition to the highlights of the collection, which include paintings, “almost all contemporary collector’s documents such as annual reports, collector’s folders with woodcuts and etchings, membership cards, programs and tickets of invitation also found a new owner.” Graphics in the triple-digit range were also offered.
Locked away from the public?
Erich Heckel’s “Standing Woman” from 1920 was presented in the Chemnitz art collections on the Theaterplatz in 2023 – it is the only work that the museum managed to acquire from auctions with the help of numerous sponsors. Image: Uwe Mann
Erich heckel’s “Standing Woman” from 1920 was presented in the Chemnitz art collections on the Theaterplatz in 2023 – it is the only work that the museum managed to acquire from auctions with the help of numerous sponsors. Image: Uwe Mann
However, the fear of German museums of being left almost empty-handed at auctions, especially for important paintings, has apparently come true
The question remains to what extent new private collectors are willing to lend works to museums and thus make them accessible to the public. “We have close contacts with many collectors and help organize any loans for exhibitions,” says Häse. For some collectors, showing photos in public is also a matter of the heart. The buyer of Schmidt-Rottluff’s painting “Reading” has made the painting available on loan to the Von Der Heydt Museum in Wuppertal.
The wedding photo question
What remains of Schmidt-Rottluff’s 1919 painting “You and I” remains a mystery. Shows the painter with his wife Emy.Schmidt-Rottluff painted it as a wedding gift for his wife. Gerlinger once wrote in an exhibition catalog that the painting was not intended for the public, but he discovered it during a visit to Schmidt-Rottluff and asked him if he could buy it. After some thought, Schmidt-rottluff agreed.
Gerlinger did not put the painting up for auction. According to Häse, it is not possible to say whether there is a possibility that the painting will be given away or lent to Chemnitz. According to him, the city’s art collections, under the direction of former director Frédéric Bußmann, were in contact with Gerlinger. when asked about the current status, current director florence Thurmes said she generally does not comment in the press on the museum’s internal matters. (kl)
06.12.2022
Interview on the art market: what the second auction of Brücke’s paintings means
Countess Nicola Keglevich of the Ketterer auction house in Munich on the art of Schmidt-rottluff, the Hermann Gerlinger collection, gigantic prices and surprises.
06.01.2022
A bridge under the hammer: the auction of one of the most important private collections causes shock
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One of Germany’s largest and most important private collections will be auctioned: the Gerlinger Art Collection in Brücke, which includes works by the Chemnitz painter Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. While the art market rejoices, museum experts are dismayed and fear that works will disappear into storage as investments.
How are private collectors influencing the future of public art exhibitions?
Tluff’s “You and I” remains an enigma, as it has not been publicly displayed or accounted for as its last known auction. The painting,characterized by its emotional depth and vivid colors,is of meaningful interest not only for its aesthetic but also for its personal narrative,depicting the artist with his wife,Emy. Questions about its whereabouts and the potential for it to surface once more in the art market continue to intrigue art historians and collectors alike.
as collections like the one assembled by Hermann Gerlinger enter the auction scene, they raise significant considerations about the future availability of art for public viewing. With rising prices and heightened interest from international buyers, especially from the United States, the dynamics between private collectors and public institutions are evolving. While some collectors may indeed choose to lend their prized possessions to museums, the pressure to keep such valuable artworks private for personal or investment reasons is strong.
The recent success of sales at Ketterer Kunst has underscored this shift, with notable pieces like Kirchner’s “The Blue Girl in the Sun” fetching record prices. The concern among museum curators is palpable; as private individuals increasingly dominate the art market, the challenge will be ensuring that masterpieces remain accessible for public appreciation. The dialog between what is collected and what is exhibited will undoubtedly shape the art landscape in the years to come, prompting ongoing discussions about the role of art institutions in preserving cultural heritage versus the tendencies of collectors to guard their acquisitions closely.
the auction results reflect not only the financial valued placed on modern art but also the broader implications for museums tasked with curating a diverse selection of notable works in a rapidly changing art world.