Auction Results: Photographie, June 14, 2013 @Van Ham

The outcomes at the photography sale at Van Ham in Cologne last week were generally uneventful. While there were a number of positive surprises, an overall Buy-In rate near 50% and the failure of the two top lots to find buyers dampened the aggregate results. Overall, the Total Sale Proceeds fell meaningfully below the pre-sale estimate. (Van Ham does not provide an estimate range in many cases, just a single estimate number, so this figure is used as the High estimate in our calculations).

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 216
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: €566800
Total Lots Sold: 114
Total Lots Bought In: 102
Buy In %: 47.22%
Total Sale Proceeds: €322460

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 201
Low Sold: 95
Low Bought In: 106
Buy In %: 52.74%
Total Low Estimate: €306800
Total Low Sold: €218080

Mid Total Lots: 13
Mid Sold: 7
Mid Bought In: 6
Buy In %: 46.15%
Total Mid Estimate: €140000
Total Mid Sold: €104380

High Total Lots: 2
High Sold: 0
High Bought In: 2
Buy In %: 100.00%
Total High Estimate: €120000
Total High Sold: €0

The top lot by High estimate was tied between two lots: lot 1111, Christian Boltanski, Jewish School, Große Hamburger Straße, Berlin, 1939, 1993, and lot 1221, Candida Höfer, Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, 2006, both estimated at €50000-60000; neither lot sold. The top outcome of the sale was lot 1108, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Industriebauten, estimated at €15000-18000, sold at €43750

88.60% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate. There were a total of 15 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

Lot 1103, David Hockney, Sur le Motif, 1974, estimated at €1000, sold at 2€000 (image at right, middle, via Van Ham)
Lot 1104, Luigi Ghirri, Atelier Giorgio Morandi, 1989/1990, estimated at €3000, sold at €10000 (image at right, top, via Van Ham)
Lot 1108, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Industriebauten, estimated at €15000-18000, sold at €43750
Lot 1122, August Sander, Antlitz der Zeit, 1929, estimated at €1500-2000, sold at €8130
Lot 1137, Lee Friedlander, Baltimore Maryland, 1962, estimated at €2000-3000, sold at €6250
Lot 1140, Jeanloup Sieff, Portrait avec Violette, estimated at €1200, sold at €3000
Lot 1175, Luigi Ghirri, Ferrara, 1979, estimated at €2000, sold at €6250
Lot 1185, Thomas Struth, Paradies, 2004, estimated at €1200, sold at €4380
Lot 1197, Ludwig Windstosser, Schallplatten, 1955, estimated at €1800, sold at €4130
Lot 1271, Claus Goedicke, III-17, 1995, estimated at €300, sold at €750 (image at right, bottom, via Van Ham)
Lot 1286, Felix Bonfils, Album mit Aufnahmen aus Indien, Japan, Vietnam, Israel, Syrien, Libanon, 1880-1900, estimated at €800, sold at €1750
Lot 1295, Siegfried Lauterwasser, Wasser, 1948, estimated at €600, sold at €5380
Lot 1306, Albert Renger-Patzsch, 8 Anischtskarten, 1929, estimated at €800, sold at €2000
Lot 1310, August Sander, Madchenportrait, 1925, estimated at €800-1000, sold at €5000
Lot 1320, Karl Hugo Schmolz, Ohne Titel, 1950s, estimated at €800, sold at €2500

Complete lot by lot results can be found here.

Van Ham Kunstauktionen
Schönhauser Straße 10 - 16
D - 50968 Köln

Auction: Photographie, June 14, 2013 @Van Ham

Van Ham wraps up the Spring season in Germany later this week in Cologne with a various owner Photographs sale with a broad base of lower priced German/European material. Overall, there are a total of 216 lots on offer in this sale, with a Total High Estimate of €566800.

Here's the statistical breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including €7500): 201
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): €306800

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between €7500 and €35000): 13
Total Mid Estimate: €140000

Total High Lots (high estimate above €35000): 2
Total High Estimate: €120000

The top lot by High estimate is tied between two lots: lot 1111, Christian Boltanski, Jewish School, Große Hamburger Straße, Berlin, 1939, 1993 (image at right, middle, via Van Ham) and lot 1221, Candida Höfer, Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, 2006 (image at right, top, via Van Ham), both estimated at €50000-60000.

Here is the list of the photographers who are represented by four or more lots in the sale (with the number of lots in parentheses):

August Sander (14)
Albert Renger-Patzsch (9)
Bernd and Hilla Becher (4)
Robert Bothner (4)
Henri Cartier-Bresson (4)
Götz Diergarten (4)
Klaus Herzog (4)
Peter Keetman (4)
Tata Ronkholz (4)
Paul Wolff & Alfred Tritschler (4)
WOLS (4)

Other lots of interest include lot 1228, Li Wei, Freedegree Over 25th Story, 2004, estimated at €5000-6000 (image at right, bottom, via Van Ham).

The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.

Photographie
June 14th

Van Ham Kunstauktionen
Schönhauser Straße 10 - 16
D - 50968 Köln

Auction Results: Photographie, June 10, 2011 @Van Ham

The recent photography sale at Van Ham in Cologne didn't provide much in the way of fireworks. While there were a number of positive surprises (led by several prints by Albert Renger-Patzsch), they weren't enough to overcome a Buy-In rate over 55%. Overall, the Total Sale Proceeds fell well below the pre-sale estimate. (Van Ham does not provide an estimate range in many cases, just a single estimate number, so this figure is used as the High estimate in our calculations).
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The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 398
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: 793380€
Total Lots Sold: 172
Total Lots Bought In: 226
Buy In %: 56.78%
Total Sale Proceeds: 472228€

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 383
Low Sold: 165
Low Bought In: 218
Buy In %: 56.92%
Total Low Estimate: 626380€
Total Low Sold: 344578€

Mid Total Lots: 15
Mid Sold: 7
Mid Bought In: 8
Buy In %: 53.33%
Total Mid Estimate: 167000€
Total Mid Sold: 127650€

High Total Lots: 0
High Sold: NA
High Bought In: NA
Buy In %: NA
Total High Estimate: 0€
Total High Sold: NA

The top lot by High estimate was lot 1146, Floris Neusüss, Sabine, 1961, at 16000-18000€; it did not sell. The top outcome of the sale was lot 1112, Jürgen Klauke, Konfrontation, 1977, at 41400€. (image at right, middle, via Van Ham)

71.51% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate. There were a total of 18 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

Lot 1038, Max Burchartz, Lotte (Auge), 1928/1980, at 2760€
Lot 1045, Chargesheimer, Il Suono, 1950, at 2760€ (image at right, bottom, via Van Ham)
Lot 1054, Walter Dexel, Neue Wege der Photographie, 1928, at 6325€
Lot 1112, Jürgen Klauke, Konfrontation, 1977, at 41400€ (image at right, middle, via Van Ham)
Lot 1153, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Bergmannshauser in Essen-Stoppenberg, 1929, at 21850€
Lot 1158, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Eichenkamp bei Wamel, 1945, at 5520€
Lot 1159, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Schwarzwald. Elbingswald im Regen, 1940, at 8625€ (image at right, top, via Van Ham)
Lot 1160, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Winter, 1950, at 3450€
Lot 1187, August Sander, Soldaten der englischen Besatzungstruppen, 1924, at 2040€
Lot 1220, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Time Exposed, 1991, at 13800€
Lot 1222, Unbekannt, Action, 1970, at 3795€
Lot 1283, Karl Hugo Schmolz, Kolner Dom, 1947, at 2300€
Lot 1288, Eddie Adams, Execution in Saigon, 1968, at 1140€
Lot 1304, Felix Bonfils, Naher Osten, 1870s, at 2040€
Lot 1347, Heinirch Kuhn, Waschetrocknerin in den Dunen, 1906, at 1200€
Lot 1348, Heinrich Kuhn, Hamburger Hafen, 1911, at 1320€
Lot 1389, Nick Ut, South Vietnam War Napalm Bombing, 1972/1978, at 4025€
Lot 1390, George West & Son, Segelyachten, 1890s, at 516€

Complete lot by lot results can be found here.

Van Ham Kunstauktionen
Schönhauser Straße 10 - 16
D - 50968 Köln

Auction: Photographie, June 10, 2011 @Van Ham

Later this week in Cologne, Van Ham finishes up the Spring season in Germany with a various owner Photographs sale. As usual, there is a generous selection of lower end German/European material, with a special section of vintage architectural images of Cologne headlined by Werner Mantz and Hugo Schmölz. Overall, there are a total of 398 lots on offer in this sale, with a Total High Estimate of 793380€.

Here's the breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including 7500€): 383
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): 626380€

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between 7500€ and 35000€): 15
Total Mid Estimate: 167000€

Total High Lots (high estimate above 35000€): 0
Total High Estimate: NA
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The top lot by High estimate is lot 1146, Floris Neusüss, Sabine, 1961, at 16000-18000€.

Here is the list of the photographers who are represented by five or more lots in the sale (with the number of lots in parentheses):

Hugo Schmölz (21)
Albert Renger-Patzsch (16)
Werner Mantz (14)
August Sander (11)
Weegee (7)
Margaret Bourke-White (6)
Brassai (6)
Germaine Krull (6)
Paul Wolff (5)
.

(Lot 1035, Joachim Brohm, Franzosische Zeitzone, 1985, at 2800€ , at right, top, lot 1074, Frank Gohlke, Landscape, Moorhead, MN, 1977, at 2800€, at right, bottom, and lot 1149, Arnold Odermatt, Stansstad, 1966/Later, at 2800€, at right, middle, all via Van Ham.)

The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.

Photographie
June 10th
.
Van Ham Kunstauktionen
Schönhauser Straße 10 - 16
D - 50968 Köln

Auction Results: Photographie and Selection from an American Collection, December 8, 2010 @Van Ham

With an overall Buy-In rate over 60%, the results from the two recent photography sales at Van Ham in Cologne were, not surprisingly, far below the pre-sale estimates. 4 out of 5 of the top lots failed to find buyers, and there just weren't enough positive surprises to make up for all the passed lots. (Van Ham does not provide an estimate range in many cases, just a single estimate number, so this figure is used as the High estimate in our calculations).

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 443
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: 1120800€
Total Lots Sold: 173
Total Lots Bought In: 270
Buy In %: 60.95%
Total Sale Proceeds: 519952€

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 424
Low Sold: 163
Low Bought In: 261
Buy In %: 61.56%
Total Low Estimate: 804800€
Total Low Sold: 343427€

Mid Total Lots: 17
Mid Sold: 9
Mid Bought In: 8
Buy In %: 47.06%
Total Mid Estimate: 231000€
Total Mid Sold: 128225€

High Total Lots: 2
High Sold: 1
High Bought In: 1
Buy In %: 50.00%
Total High Estimate: 85000€
Total High Sold: 48300€

The top lot by High estimate was lot 1046A, Andreas Gursky, Cairo (General View), 1992, at 35000-45000€; it did not sell. The top outcome of the sale was lot 1415, Edward Steichen, An Apple, a Boulder, a Mountain, 1921, at 48300€.

76.30% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate. There were a total of 11 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

Lot 1080, Siegfried Lauterwasser, Wahltag/Appenzell bei Schneefall, 1951, at 3795€
Lot 1091, Floris Neusüss, Munchen 64 (Nudogram), 1964, at 25300€ (image at right, top, via Van Ham)
Lot 1116, Tata Ronkholz, Trinkhalle Koln-Nippes, Merheimer Str. 294, 1983, at 2990€ (image at right, middle, via Van Ham)
Lot 1122, August Sander, Familienportrait, 1921, at 3220€
Lot 1127, August Sander, Herbstwald, 1938, at 4370€
Lot 1128, August Sander, Der Stadtwald zu Koln verschneit, 1936, at 5290€
Lot 1177, Boris Becker, Salzau im Mai (4 prints), 1993, at 1920€ (image at right, bottom, via Van Ham)
Lot 1181, Sibylle Bergemann, Loret Becker, 1992, at 1440€
Lot 1199, Rosemarie Clausen, Totenmasken grosser Deutscher, n.d., at 840€
Lot 1258, Karl Hugo Schmolz, Open (Riphahn), 1957, at 1680€
Lot 1271, Unbekannt, Gebruder Wright (erster Flug!), 1903, at 1080€
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Complete lot by lot results can be found here.

Van Ham Kunstauktionen
Schönhauser Straße 10 - 16
D - 50968 Köln

Auctions: Photographie and Selection from an American Collection, December 8, 2010 @Van Ham

Van Ham has has both a various owner Photographs sale and a single owner collection sale in Cologne later this week. The two sessions have a generous selection of lower end material, with plenty of work by Becher students (Gursky, Struth, Ruff, Höfer, Nieweg, Sasse, Ronkholz et al) and from the 1950s subjective photography movement (Schneiders, Keetman, Lauterwasser et al), and as usual, there are large groups of prints from Albert Renger-Patzsch and August Sander. Overall, there are a total of 443 lots on offer in this sale (across both sessions), with a Total High Estimate of 1120800€.

Here's the breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including 7500€): 424
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): 804800€

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between 7500€ and 35000€): 17
Total Mid Estimate: 231000€

Total High Lots (high estimate above 35000€): 2
Total High Estimate: 85000€

The top lot by High estimate is lot 1046A, Andreas Gursky, Cairo (General View), 1992, at 35000-45000€.

Here is the list of the photographers who are represented by five or more lots in the sale (with the number of lots in parentheses):

Albert Renger-Patzsch (20)
Karl Hugo Schmölz (11)
Robert Doisneau (10)
August Sander (10)
Harold Edgerton (9)
Elliott Erwitt (7)
Andreas Gursky (7)
Henri Cartier-Bresson (6)
Peter Keetman (6)
George Platt Lynes (6)
Paul Wolff & Alfred Tritschler (5)
Candida Höfer (5)
Inge Morath (5)

(Lot 1415, Edward Steichen, An Apple, a Boulder, a Mountain, 1921, at 30000-40000€ , at right, top, lot 1400, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Ruhrchemie, 1933-1934, at 2000-3000€, at right, middle, and lot 1224, Siegfried Lauterwasser, Eisen, 1950s, at 800€, at right, bottom, all via Van Ham.)

The complete lot by lot catalog for both sessions can be found here.

Photographie
December 8th

Selection from an American Collection
December 8th

Van Ham Kunstauktionen
Schönhauser Straße 10 - 16
D - 50968 Köln

Auction Results: Photographie, June 16, 2010 @Van Ham

The results from the various owner photography sale at Van Ham in Cologne were generally uneventful. 32 lots were withdrawn from the auction, so I've recalculated the statistical measurements on the reduced totals, as if the missing lots had never been on offer in the first place. Vintage August Sander portraits were the best performers in the sale. Overall, the Total Sale Proceeds missed the estimate by a decent margin. (Van Ham does not provide an estimate range in most cases, just a single estimate number, so this figure is used as the High estimate in our calculations).

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 259

Pre Sale High Total Estimate: 445750€

Total Lots Sold: 180

Total Lots Bought In: 79

Buy In %: 30.50%

Total Sale Proceeds: 364338€

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 252

Low Sold: 177

Low Bought In: 75

Buy In %: 29.76%

Total Low Estimate: 365750€

Total Low Sold: 309963€

Mid Total Lots: 7

Mid Sold: 3

Mid Bought In: 4

Buy In %: 57.14%

Total Mid Estimate: 80000€

Total Mid Sold: 54375€

High Total Lots: 0

High Sold: NA

High Bought In: NA

Buy In %: NA

Total High Estimate: 0€

Total High Sold: NA

.

The top lot by High estimate was lot 17, Erwin Blumenfeld, Blumenfeld Color (portfolio), 1984, at 18000-20000€; it did not sell. The top outcome of the sale was lot 126, August Sander, Sänger u. Schauspieler, 1928, at 52500€. (Image at right, top, via Van Ham.)
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83.89% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate. There were a total of 11 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

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Lot 84, Karim Saab, Foto Anschlag, 1988, at 7500€
Lot 86, Erich Kukies, Der Verkauf einer Seele bringt in keinem Fall genug, 2009, at 3625€

Lot 88, Georges Leuzinger, Rio de Janiero, 1865, at 6625€

Lot 95, Richard Petersen, Dresden 1945/Blick vom Rathausturm, 1945, at 3000€

Lot 101, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Das Bäumchen, 1929, at 32500€ (Image at right, bottom, via Van Ham.)

Lot 107, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Waldschlag, 1957, at 3750€

Lot 125, August Sander, Der Hausarzt, 1906, at 6250€

Lot 126, August Sander, Sänger u. Schauspieler, 1928, at 52500€

Lot 127, August Sander, Junglehrer, 1928, at 13750€

Lot 130, August Sander, Winkeladvokat, 1952, at 35000€

Lot 260, Hilmar Pabel, Dresden, 1949, at 1625€

Complete lot by lot results can be found here.

Van Ham Kunstauktionen
Schönhauser Straße 10 - 16
D - 50968 Köln

Auction: Photographie, June 16, 2010 @Van Ham

Van Ham has its photographs sale in Cologne later this week. The auction has primarily lower end material, with a large selection of architectural photographs, highlighted in a separate section. Overall, there are a total of 291 lots on offer in this sale, with a Total High Estimate of 482550€. (Catalog cover at right, via Van Ham.)

Here's the breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including 7500€): 284
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): 402550€

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between 7500€ and 35000€): 7
Total Mid Estimate: 80000€

Total High Lots (high estimate above 35000€): 0
Total High Estimate: NA

The top lot by High estimate is lot 17, Erwin Blumenfeld, Blumenfeld Color (portfolio), 1984, at 18000-20000€.

Here is the list of the photographers who are represented by four or more lots in the sale (with the number of lots in parentheses):

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Karl Hugo Schmölz (21)

Albert Renger-Patzsch (14)

Werner Mantz (13)

August Sander (9)

Lucien Clergue (5)

Harold Edgerton (5)

Heinz Hajek-Halke (5)

Peter Keetman (5)
Eva Besnyö (4)

Robert Bothner (4)

Andreas Feininger (4)

Werner Rohde (4)

Tata Ronkholz (4)

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One image which caught our eye was lot 114, Alexander Rodchenko, Radio Station Tower, 1929/1956, at 1800€. (image at right, via Van Ham.)

The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.

Photographie
June 16th

Van Ham Kunstauktionen

Schönhauser Straße 10 - 16

D - 50968 Köln

Auction Results: Photographie, December 9, 2009 @Van Ham

Albert Renger-Patzsch was the star of the Van Ham photography sale in Cologne, with four unexpectedly big lots bringing in about a third of the total sale proceeds. Otherwise, the results were more than a little choppy, with a buy-in rate over 55%. (Van Ham does not provide an estimate range in most cases, just a single estimate number, so this figure is used as the High estimate in our calculations).

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 287
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: 395670€
Total Lots Sold: 125
Total Lots Bought In: 162
Buy In %: 56.45%
Total Sale Proceeds: 321413€

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 284
Low Sold: 124
Low Bought In: 160
Buy In %: 56.34%
Total Low Estimate: 365670€
Total Low Sold: 285163€

Mid Total Lots: 3
Mid Sold: 1
Mid Bought In: 2
Buy In %: 66.67%
Total Mid Estimate: 30000€
Total Mid Sold: 36250€

High Total Lots: 0
High Sold: NA
High Bought In: NA
Buy In %: NA
Total High Estimate: 0€
Total High Sold: NA

The top lot by High estimate was lot 1092, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Das Bäumchen, 1929, at 10000-12000€; it sold for 36250€. The top outcome of the sale was lot 1093, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Buchenwald im November, 1936, at 40000€.

An amazing 75.20% of the lots that sold had proceeds above the estimate. There were a total of 18 surprises in this sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

Lot 1016, Chargesheimer, Akt, 1960, at 2250€
Lot 1017, Chargesheimer, Akt, 1960, at 2000€
Lot 1018, Paul Citroen, Ruth Landshoff und Manne, 1929, at 3500€
Lot 1084, Alphonse Mucha, Settings & Models, 1895-1919/1975, at 4250€
Lot 1090, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Kopfweiden (Niederrhein), 1920, at 15000€
Lot 1091, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Sommerlandschaft (Bayern), 1923, at 27500€
Lot 1092, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Das Baumchen, 1929, at 36250€
Lot 1093, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Buchenwald im November, 1936, at 40000€
Lot 1100, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Rotbuchenwald im Herbst, 1943, at 3750€
Lot 1156, Bernd und Hilla Becher, Vergleiche technischer Konstruktionen, 1971, at 563€
Lot 1181, Dusseldorf, Schau kunstlerischer Photographien, 1926, at 875€
Lot 1208, Erich Kukies, Sakrileg, 2007, at 1875€
Lot 1211, Adolf Lazi, IRA, 1931, at 1063€
Lot 1222, Carlo Naya, Ansichten von Venedig, 1870, at 813€
Lot 1225, Helmut Newton, Helmut Newton's Illustrated, No1-4, 1987-1995, at 438€
Lot 1250, August Sander, Madchen im Zirkuswagen, 1926-1932, at 1063€
Lot 1258, Hugo Schmolz, Treppenhaus, 1938, at 1375€
Lot 1281, US Navy, Rising column of water enters the first phase of characteristic mushroom, 1946, at 1125€

Complete lot by lot results can be found here.

Van Ham Kunstauktionen
Schönhauser Straße 10 - 16
D - 50968 Köln

Auction: Photographie, December 9, 2009 @Van Ham

The upcoming Photography sale at Van Ham in Cologne later this week has a wide range of generally lower end material, with a solid selection of German photography (as expected). Likely as an attempt to attract entry-level buyers, all of the lots that are priced below 1000€ are gathered together in a single section at the back of the catalogue. Overall, there are a total of 287 lots on offer in this sale, with a Total High Estimate of 395670€. (Catalog covers at right, via Van Ham.)

Here's the breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate up to and including 7500€): 284
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): 365670€

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between 7500€ and 35000€): 3
Total Mid Estimate: 30000€

Total High Lots (high estimate above 35000€): 0
Total High Estimate: NA

The top lot by High estimate is lot 1092, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Das Bäumchen, 1929, at 10000-12000€.

Here's a list of the photographers who are represented by four or more lots in the sale (with the number of lots in parentheses):

Albert Renger-Patzsch (15)
Chargesheimer (11)
Hugo Schmölz (10)
August Sander (9)
Peter Keetman (8)
Werner Mantz (7)
Thomas Struth (5)
Bernd and Hilla Becher (4)
Robert Bothner (4)
Ruth Hallensleben (4)
Rudolph Holtappel (4)
Jan Saudek (4)

There aren't many images of specific interest for our collection in this sale. We did however like Lot 1035 Frank Gohlke, Grain Elevator (stave+hoop construction), 1973.

The complete lot by lot catalog can be found here.

Photographie
December 9th

Van Ham Kunstauktionen
Schönhauser Straße 10 - 16
D - 50968 Köln

Auction Results: Photographie, June 8, 2009 @Van Ham

The results of Van Ham's photography sale in Cologne last week were near the bottom of the range of outcomes we have seen this season: a buy-in rate above 60% and proceeds significantly below the estimate range. This was also among the largest of the sales this year, with lots of low end material, so perhaps the conclusion is that demand at the lower end of the market remains quite soft.

The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Total Lots: 376
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: 526750€

Total Lots Sold: 138
Total Lots Bought In: 238
Buy In %: 63.30%
Total Sale Proceeds: 225131€

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 370
Low Sold: 135
Low Bought In: 235
Buy In %: 63.51%
Total Low Estimate: 456750€
Total Low Sold: 178881€

Mid Total Lots: 6
Mid Sold: 3
Mid Bought In: 3
Buy In %: 50.00%
Total Mid Estimate: 70000€
Total Mid Sold: 46250€

High Total Lots: 0
High Sold: NA
High Bought In: NA
Buy In %: NA
Total High Estimate: 0€
Total High Sold: NA

63.04% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range. There were a total of five surprises in this sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate):

Lot 614, Tim Gidal, TV Face, 1930/1972, at 688€
Lot 628, Philippe Halsman, Marilyn Monroe, 1952, at 7500€
Lot 700, Erich Kukies, Der Sinn des Lebens - Spuren hinterlassen, 2006/2008, at 1375€
Lot 713, Georges Leuzinger, Rio de Janeiro, 1865, at 1625€
Lot 748, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Das Baumchen, 1929, at 32500€

Complete lot by lot results can be found here. I have grossed up the results in this post to reflect the addition of the buyer's premium.

Van Ham Kunstauctionen
Schönhauser Straße 10-16
50968 Köln

Auction: Photographie, June 8, 2009 @Van Ham

Next week in Cologne, the German photography season continues with a wide ranging sale at Van Ham. Most of the lots are in the lower priced range, the vast majority estimated under 2000€, so there may indeed be some bargains to be had here. There are a total of 376 lots on offer, with a total High estimate of 526750€. (Catalog cover at right.)

Here's the breakdown:

Total Low lots (high estimate 7500€ or lower): 370

Total Low estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): 456750€

Total Mid lots (high estimate between 7500€ and 35000€): 6

Total Mid estimate: 70000€

Total High lots (high estimate over 35000€): 0

Total High estimate: NA

For our collection, we liked the following:

• Lot 538 Max Baur, Chrysanthemen, 1930s
• Lot 635 John Havinden, Steinzeugrohre, 1930s
• Lot 642 Heinz Held, Empire State Building, 1960s
• Lot 674 Peter Keetman, VW-Werk, 1953 (image at right)
• Lot 755 Albert Renger-Patzsch, Der zehnstockige ROGO-Turm, 1936
• Lot 774 Tata Ronkholz, Autoplatz Hurth Bonnstr. 379a, 1984
• Lot 854 Ludwig Windstosser, Pintsch Bamag, Gas, 1950s

The lot by lot catalog can be found here.

Photographie

June 8

Van Ham Kunstauctionen

Schönhauser Straße 10-16

50968 Köln

Auction Results Fall 2008: Bassenge, Van Ham, and Lempertz

Three additional German auction houses had their photography sales last week: Galerie Bassenge (Berlin), Van Ham Kunstauktionen (Cologne) and Kunsthaus Lempertz (Cologne). In general, the outcomes were comparable to the rest of the season around the world. The results are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):

Galerie Bassenge

Total Lots: 662
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: 549140 Euros

Total Lots Sold: 427
Total Lots Bought In: 235
Buy In %: 35.50%
Total Sale Proceeds: 428900 Euros

The buy-in rate in this sale is artificially high, as the the photo book lots all sold well at very low prices, which made the numbers for the sale as a whole look better.

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 660
Low Sold: 426
Low Bought In: 234
Buy In %: 35.45%
Total Low Estimate: 530140 Euros
Total Low Sold: 420780 Euros

Mid Total Lots: 2
Mid Sold: 1
Mid Bought In: 1
Buy In %: 50.00%
Total Mid Estimate: 19000 Euros
Total Mid Sold: 8120 Euros

High Total Lots: 0
High Sold: 0
High Bought In: 0
Buy In %: NA
Total High Estimate: 0
Total High Sold: 0

All in, this sale earned Bassenge a second place finish among the German houses, behind Villa Grisebach.

Van Ham Kunstauktionen

Total Lots: 422
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: 738440 Euros

Total Lots Sold: 179
Total Lots Bought In: 243
Buy In %: 57.58%
Total Sale Proceeds: 381844 Euros

Not much to say here, just a disappointing outing in a tough market.

Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 409
Low Sold: 174
Low Bought In: 235
Buy In %: 57.46%
Total Low Estimate: 542440 Euros
Total Low Sold: 260469 Euros

Mid Total Lots: 12
Mid Sold: 4
Mid Bought In: 8
Buy In %: 66.67%
Total Mid Estimate: 146000 Euros
Total Mid Sold: 61375 Euros

High Total Lots: 1
High Sold: 1
High Bought In: 0
Buy In %: 00.00%
Total High Estimate: 50000 Euros
Total High Sold: 60000 Euros

Kunsthaus Lempertz

Total Lots: 220
Pre Sale High Total Estimate: 315300 Euros

Total Lots Sold: 73
Total Lots Bought In: 147
Buy In %: 66.82%
Total Sale Proceeds: 181932 Euros

With only approximately 30000 Euros of premium, this sale likely didn't break even against its costs. It was the worst outcome of the season (just nosing out Sotheby's London).

The photography lots in the Contemporary Art sale the same day brought in additional proceeds of 117960 Euros (against an estimate of 315300 Euros, with a 61.22% buy-in rate).

Here is the breakdown of photography sale only (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post, here):

Low Total Lots: 214
Low Sold: 71
Low Bought In: 143
Buy In %: 57.46%
Total Low Estimate: 366150 Euros
Total Low Sold: 134172 Euros

Mid Total Lots: 6
Mid Sold: 2
Mid Bought In: 4
Buy In %: 66.67%
Total Mid Estimate: 52000 Euros
Total Mid Sold: 47760 Euros

High Total Lots: 0
High Sold: 0
High Bought In: 0
Buy In %: NA
Total High Estimate: 0 Euros
Total High Sold: 0 Euros

Overall, the German fall season was surprisingly weak, and was likely hindered by falling at the end of the run of sales. With potential buyers being much more careful and picky, there just wasn't enough quality material in these sales to generate real interest.

Auction: Photographie, December 5, 2008 @Van Ham

Van Ham's upcoming photography sale has a whopping 422 lots on offer (including 30 lots of photo books), so there is plenty of variety and volume to sift through in Cologne, nearly all of it on the Low end. The total high estimate for the sale is 738440 Euros.

Here's the overall price breakdown:

Total Low Lots (high estimate below 7500 Euros): 409
Total Low Estimate (sum of high estimates of Low lots): 542440 Euros

Total Mid Lots (high estimate between 7500 and 35000 Euros): 12

Total Mid Estimate: 146000 Euros

Total High Lots (high estimate above 35000 Euros): 1

Total High Estimate: 50000 Euros

There aren't many superior lots in this sale (in our view), but quite a few lesser known works of interest can be found. For our collection, here are a few that are intriguing:

• Lot 1043 Pierre Auradon, Tulips, 1930: We already have one Pierre Auradon in our collection (here), but this is another high quality floral that would fit well in our floral genre. (image at right, top)


• Lot 1295 Tata Ronkholz, Fischerplatz 2, 1978: Ronkholz was a Becher student, and did a whole series of Trinkhalle images that document urban development in Dusseldorf. I believe that Van Ham represents the Ronkholz estate. These images would fit well with American topographic photography from the 1970s. (image at right, middle)


• Lot 1347 Arthur Siegel, Golden Gate Bridge, 1942: Siegel was at the ID in Chicago with Callahan and Siskind. This early bridge image would match a few others in our collection. (image at right, bottom)

As with many of the other German houses, we have had good success with Van Ham's services, including condition reports, bidding, and packing/shipping to the US.

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Photographie

December 5th

Van Ham Kunstauktionen

Schonhauser Strasse 10-16

50968 Koln