Georg Kolbe Leads Grisebach $3.3m 'Modern Art' Auction in Berlin

A work by Georg Kolbe was the headline sale at Grisebach 'Modern Art' auction on May 31 in Berlin.

• The sale totaled $3.3m, falling short of its pre-sale low estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 155 works sold totaling $3.3m.
• Estimates totaled: $3.52m (low) and $3.52m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 63% of the original 246 lots announced.

The star lot was: Georg Kolbe, Kopf der Tänzerin (1911), which sold for $103,100, 800% above its $10,800 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 800% above its low estimate. Georg Kolbe, Kopf der Tänzerin (1911), sold for $103,100 ($10,800 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 154 works, or 99%, sold above their high estimate.
• 0 works, or 0%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 1 works, or 1%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

91 works were bought-in, including: Max Slevogt, Palatinate landscape – the Rock of Neukastel (1917), estimated at $64,500 (low) to $64,500 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn

Terms and definitions

All results include the fees and premiums added to the price of a work of art when the auctioneer's hammer falls. Sale prices are compared to the auction house’s low estimate, which do not include premiums.

Guarantees: Sometimes an auction house guarantees to pay a seller for a work, regardless of whether the bidding reaches the reserve price, a figure that is typically confidential.

Bought-in: If there are no bids for a work, or if bidding falls short of the reserve price, the lot is unsold or “bought-in”.

Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.

Premiums: Typically a sliding-scale of charges paid in addition to the hammer price by the buyer, plus any other fees.