Gunther Uecker Leads Van Ham Kunstauktionen $13.71m 'Modern, Post War & Contemporary' Auction in Cologne

A work by Gunther Uecker was the headline sale at Van Ham Kunstauktionen 'Modern, Post War & Contemporary' auction on June 4-5 in Cologne.

• The sale totaled $13.71m (EUR12.04m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 286 works sold totaling $13.71m.
• Estimates totaled: $12.26m (low) and $17.78m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 61% of the original 470 lots announced.

The star lot was: Gunther Uecker, Spirale (2017), which sold for $750,800, 122% above its $337,300 low estimate. It has not been traded before.

The outperformer sold for 658% above its low estimate. Senaka Senanayake, The Stone Workers (1962), sold for $51,200 ($6,746 low estimate). It has not been traded before.

• 179 works, or 63%, sold above their high estimate.
• 107 works, or 37%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 0 works, or 0%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

180 works were bought-in, including: Dora Maurer, Quasi-Picture and its mirroring (Zwischenraster Quasi-Bild, Schritt 103) (1983), estimated at $281,100 (low) to $393,500 (high). It has not been traded before.

Withdrawn before the sale

4 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Friedrich Karl Gotsch, Rotes Haus am Strand (1928) estimated at $13,500 (low) to $20,200 (high).

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. Estimates, sale prices and totals are converted into US dollars. 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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.