PRESS RELEASE
73rd Art Auction on 21. April 2009
The Spring Auction at im Kinsky opens with a significant collection of Old Masters on Tuesday 21 April at 4 pm, followed by 78 paintings from the 19th century and 93 works of Classic Modernism. Contemporary Art closes the first day of the auction with 170 works. The auction on 22 April starts from 3 pm and is dedicated to Antiques. All in all, the auctions offer more than 570 art objects with an estimated value totalling between 4.5 and 7.7 million Euros.
OLD MASTERS
As recently as 1977 the oil painting "The Rape of the Sabine Women" (reserve € 50,000), was displayed in the National Museum in Stockholm as an oil sketch by Peter Paul Rubens alongside world-famous historic paintings by this great artist. The disagreement among art historians and researchers since then on the authenticity of the work could not be decided beyond doubt in an article published in the 1997 edition of "Corpus Rubenianum", which is why the 29 x 60 cm painting on oakwood board starts the auction as "attributed to".
A possible further sensation could be caused by the life-size painting of "Queen Henrietta Maria" (reserve € 50,000), attributed to Anthonis van Dyck. Van Dyck, who started work as the court artist for King Charles I in 1632, painted numerous portraits of the king and queen. This work is listed as No. 866 in the van Dyck catalogue published by researcher Erik Larsen (1988), in which it is stated that the painting is from van Dyck's own hand. On the other hand, the oeuvre catalogue published by Barnes, Poorter, Millar and Vey (2004) no longer mentions the work. As a result, the portrait of the English Queen goes to auction as "attributed to".
There is no doubt about the authenticity of "Lion and Bull" (reserve € 75,000) by Roeland Savery. This large format representation of animals in Savery's work is really very special compared to small and medium-sized paintings that are available in greater abundance.
A "Prunkmahlzeit / Feast" (reserve € 100,000) by Gottfried von Wedig is on offer, which was displayed ten years ago as part of an exhibition in the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne and in the Hessian Landesmuseum Darmstadt. In addition to around 20 portraits from the years 1616 to 1640, the artist is famous for his still life work in particular.
"Blumengirlande mit Weltenkind / Child with garland of flowers“ (reserve € 90,000) is a monumental joint work by Jan Brueghel d. J. and Cornelis Schut, that with its joys of spring charm is bound to find an admirer.
With a wealth of imaginativeness Faustino Bocchi created bizarre scenes; the main characters based on the world of fantasy and fable. These imaginative displays of dwarves' battles, games, dances and parties are humorously and satirically reminiscent of portrayals created by Archimboldo, or the horrendous worlds of Hieronymus Bosch. "Festtag im Zwergenreich / Feast day in dwarf kingdom" is one of the many insiders' tips among the Old Masters with an estimated value between € 25.000 and 50.000.
19th CENTURY
In the 19th century section, Adolph Schreyer's "Arabian Riders" storm into the auction at an estimated value of between
€ 35,000 and 70,000. Following a journey to North Africa the artist developed a passion for oriental motives, targeting the popular trend in art of his time and celebrating considerable success in the Paris salons. Then, as now, the observer is captivated by the atmosphere radiated by his paintings.
It is quite obvious why Rosalia Amon became a master student of Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller. The "Maiden with Roses" (€ 50,000 – 80,000) bears witness to Amon's considerable talent, capturing the material realism of objects in daylight.
The "Interior of St. Mark's Cathedral“ (€ 25,000 – 50,000) presents us with a watercolour by Rudolf von Alt, who during his trip to Italy in 1874 used the rainy weather in Venice to capture the atmosphere of the interior of this monumental building in a completely unique fashion.
CLASSIC MODERNISM
The Classic Modernism section demonstrates the power of colour in a male portrait by Herbert Boeckl (€ 50,000 - 80,000), and a well considered composition with a choice of cool colours in a still life by Gerhart Frankl (€ 25,000 – 38,000).
Ferdinand Stransky's ability to convert colour into a tangible experience is reflected in "Two nudes on the edge of the forest“(€ 25,000 – 40,000).
A landscape watercolour (€ 20,000 – 40,000) by Franz Sedlacek, a "Hilly landscape" (€ 18.000 – 30.000) by Herbert Gurschner and three different female nudes by Alfons Walde show how exciting and varied Classic Modernism can be at imKinsky.
CONTEMPORARY ART
The offering of Contemporary Art opens with a work by Friedensreich Hundertwasser painted in 1961 in Tokyo using a mixed technique (watercolour, tempera, oil and gold foil). "Garden without Ground" has been exhibited worldwide since 1961 and goes under starters orders at an estimated value between € 100,000 and 180,000.
Max Weiler's "Like a landscape" from 1962 also deserves full attention. It was last displayed in 1978 in the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Collectors will need to put down between
€ 50,000 and 100,000 for this work.
ANTIQUES
A colourful start to the antiques auction on 22 April is provided by a collection of 18th century spirit bottles. Collectors will find a fetching pair of Meissner porcelain figures (€ 10,000 – 16,000) in oriental dress - he bearing a shield, sword and bow, she with basket of fruit and a vessel - difficult to resist. Cast bronze from the 16th century in the form of disc lamps (€ 6,000 – 10,000) are also part of the selection. As far as sculptures are concerned, a Gothic Madonna (€ 15,000 – 25,000), a "St. George" (€ 8,000 – 12,000) and a "St. Sebastian" (€ 15,000 – 30,000) attributed to Martin Zürn will have their admirers.
"Rococo - cupboards with chinoiserie". Asiatic-style men and women painted on a red background romp around in a landscape adorned with architectural features. A masterpiece in carpentry is represented by the salon table (€ 11,000 – 20,000) from the second half of the 19th century with marquetry portraits of Emperor Franz Josef, Empress Elisabeth, Archduchess Gisela, Crown Prince Rudolf and Archduchess Marie Valerie.
If you would like more information or would like to order photos, I would be pleased to hear from you:
Iris J. Gradenegger, Tel. +43 1 5324200-11,
e-mail: gradenegger@imkinsky.com
PRIVATE VIEW
Wednesday, 15 April 2009
6 pm - 8 pm in the exhibition rooms,
on the 1st floor of Palais Kinsky, Freyung 4, 1010 Vienna
Lecture starts 6.30 pm
AUCTION
21 April 2009
Old Masters, 4 pm
19th Century and Classic Modernism, 5 pm
Contemporary Art, 7 pm
22 April 2009
Antiques, 3 pm
Viewing 16 – 22 April 2009
Mo-Fr 10 am-6 pm, Sa 10 am-5 pm, So 11 am-4 pm
Catalogue orders: +43 1 5324200 or office@imkinsky.com
Online catalogue: www.imkinsky.com
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