Koller Auctions
Hardturmstrasse 102, Zürich, Switzerland CH 8031
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About Auction House
Koller Auctions has been an integral part of the Swiss art market for over half a century. Thanks to the experience of our specialists and their extreme attention to detail, Koller is able to identify even seemingly unremarkable works of art and to sell them for important prices.Auction Previews & News
6 Results
Auction ResultVan Dyck, Lippi, Savery and Waldmüller sell for strong prices in Koller’s Old Masters & 19th Century Paintings auction
Jan Brueghel The Younger, Bouquet of flowers in a porcelain vase.Oil on copper. 28.4 × 23.2 cm.Sold for CHF 122 000. ZURICH.-Koller's Old Masters & 19th Century Paintings auction in Zurich on 26 March registered robust prices, with highly competitive bidding for many of the top lots, despite the fact that the sale had to be held without in-person bidding. Anthony van Dyck's St Jerome in the Wilderness, a fascinating, freely executed study which may have belonged to his mentor, Peter Paul Rubens, sold for CHF 2.4 million after a protracted bidding battle, well above pre-sale expectations of CHF 800 000/1 000 000 (lot 3027). A recently rediscovered mystical depiction of St Benedict by Filippino Lippi more than tripled its low estimate to sell to a Swiss collector for CHF 134 000 (lot 3002). A charming bucolic scene by Dutch master Roelant Savery (lot 3022) left one German private collection to enter another, also selling for more than three times its low estimate, at CHF 128 000. An impressive portrait of a young man attributed to the circle of Annibale Carracci (lot 3036) was one of the most successful lots of the day, selling for CHF 226 000. Among the 19th-century works, Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller's 'The love letter', a moody depiction of two young ladies by candlelight, sold for CHF 232 000 to a private Swiss collector (lot 3141). A landscape with figures by Waldmüller fetched CHF 73 000 (lot 3152). A vibrantly coloured view of Capri by Russian expatriate artist Konstantin Gorbatoff changed hands for more than double its estimate at CHF 134 000 (lot 3119), and a tranquil river view by Eugène Boudin (lot 3135) also doubled its estimate at CHF 104 000. 'The results of this auction, especially the enthusiastic bidding for works such as the van Dyck, confirm what we have been seeing for the past year: despite the global upheaval caused by the pandemic in many sectors, the market for Old Masters - and the auction market in general - is in excellent health, especially for high-quality works', commented Cyril Koller, CEO of Koller Auctions. Koller's…
Auction ResultHodler sells for CHF 4 million
Hodler's 'Lake Thun and the Niesen' sells for CHF 4 million. ZURICH.- Bids rising above the estimates, busy telephone banks, non-stop internet bidding, the saleroom at covid-restriction capacity - except for the masks worn by the bidders and staff in the saleroom, it could have been a scene from one of the art market's best moments of the past 15 years. Such was the atmosphere at Koller's auctions in Zurich this week, and with an overall sales rate of 135% of the pre-sale estimates (not including buyer's premium), the sales gave a very encouraging sign that the auction market is alive and well. The Swiss Art auction on 4 December featured a sublime landscape by Ferdinand Hodler, 'Lake Thun and the Niesen' (lot 3031). Purchased by the great-grandmother of the consignor at an exhibition in Solothurn in 1913, the painting had remained in the same family ever since, while many other examples of this subject entered museum collections. After a prolonged telephone bidding battle which took the price to three times its pre-sale estimate, the work sold for CHF 4.05 million. Also by Hodler, a head study for 'View to Infinity' more than tripled its estimate as well at CHF 1 million (lot 3029). Other Swiss artists in demand at the auction were Albert Anker, with a touching portrait of a young girl practicing her penmanship (lot 3014, CHF 545 000), Giovanni Giacometti's view of a snow-covered Engadine village (lot 3052) that sold above the upper estimate at 269 000, another winter scene by Gottardo Segantini that fetched more than three times its estimate (lot 3059, CHF 293 000), and a striking work by Felix Vallotton, 'Baigneuse aux mouettes' (Bather with seagulls) that more than doubled its estimate at CHF 183 000 (lot 3036). A mature work by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (lot 3245) in the Impressionist & Modern Art auction on 4 December, 'Pines in the Spessart', tripled its pre-sale estimate at CHF 452 000. Other works by German Expressionists included a landscape by Alexej von Jawlensky ('Herbst I', lot 3220) that sold above its upper estimate for CHF 128 000, and a spring…
Auction IndustryTragic love, dramatic lighting, and thinly veiled eroticism in Koller’s autumn auctions
Jacob Jordaens, Venus and Adonis. Circa 1615. Oil on canvas. 119 × 152 cm. CHF 140 000/200 000 ZURICH.-Koller's Old Masters & 19th Century Paintings auction on 25 September features a recently rediscovered "Venus and Adonis" by Jacob Jordaens, considered along with Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony Van Dyck as one of the most important Flemish Baroque artists (lot 3029, CHF 140 000/200 000). This tender and masterful depiction shows the goddess holding her dying lover, and its probable provenance can be traced all the way back to an auction in Amsterdam in 1696. Also fresh to the art market after an absence of several decades is a dramatically lit composition depicting a penitent Mary Magdalene by the main figure of Utrecht Caravaggism, Gerrit van Honthorst. After an artistic pilgrimage to Rome, Van Honthorst and several of his contemporaries brought the style and techniques of Caravaggio back to their native Utrecht, influencing a generation of northern artists (lot 3031, CHF 150 000/250 000). Hubert Robert's "Washerwomen by a river with temple ruins in the background" has a distinguished provenance: it was very likely painted for an iconic landmark on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, the Hôtel du Plessis-Bellière (lot 3075, CHF 180 000/250 000). Two related paintings by Robert are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Other significant works in the auction include a still life by father-and-son collaboration Cornelis de Heem and David Cornelisz. De Heem (lot 3046, CHF 120 000/150 000), and another by Haarlem painters Pieter Claesz. and Roelof Koets (lot 3030, CHF 80 000/120 000). Italian painting from the 14th century is well-represented by religious works from the circle of Catarino di Marco da Venezia (lot 3002, CHF 80 000/120 000), and a previously unpublished work by Florentine artist Giovanni del Biondo (lot 3005, CHF 90 000/140 000). The genre scene by Louis-Léopold Boilly, "Les jeunes époux" (lot 3073, CHF 40 000/60 000) is the sort of charming subject flavoured with thinly disguised eroticism that earned him a reprimand from the French revolutionary Committee of Public Safety in 1794. His punishment was to paint a…
Auction ResultExcellent results for the first live auctions at Koller since the lockdown
A view by Max Liebermann of his garden at Wannsee (lot 3115) nearly doubled its pre-sale estimate to sell for CHF 488 000. ZURICH.- With the saleroom often filled to post-covid capacity, and extremely active telephone and Internet bidding, Koller's Old Masters & Antiques auction week was a resounding success. The auctions, initially scheduled for late March, realised overall more than 110% of the pre-sale estimates, not including buyer's premium. Bidders were enthusiastic and determined, driving hammer prices of many lots up to ten times their estimates, and this across all fields - fine arts, furniture & decorative arts, and jewellery. From Corot to Purrmann, 19 JuneThe auction "From Corot to Purrmann", presenting a private Swiss collection of modern paintings, far exceeded expectations. The top lot was a view by Max Liebermann of his garden at Wannsee (lot 3115), which nearly doubled its pre-sale estimate to sell for CHF 488 000. Another work by Liebermann, a spontaneous depiction of ice skaters (lot 3122), sold for twice its estimate at CHF 305 000. All three works by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot sold for between four and ten times their estimates, led by "Ville d'Avray, un coin d'étang", 1865-70 (lot 3114), estimated CHF 20 000/30 000, which realised CHF 200 000. Old Masters & 19th Century Paintings, 19 JuneIntense bidding for a rare early 17-century still life by female artist Fede Galizia caused it to soar above its estimate of CHF 150 000/200 000 and ultimately sell for CHF 450 000 (lot 3018). A large goldground panel by Bicci di Lorenzo, ca. 1145-50 (lot 3007), sold for close to its upper estimate at CHF 342 000. A landscape by Dutch Golden Age artist Salomon van Ruysdael sold for ten times its pre-sale estimate at CHF 256 000 (lot 3045). Other highlights included an outdoor wedding scene by Marten van Cleve the Elder (lot 3021, CHF 269 000), and a pair of 18-century Mediterranean harbour scenes by Charles François Lacroix de Marseille (lot 3073, CHF 220 000). The Müller-Frei Collection, 16 JuneThis private Swiss collection, lovingly assembled over decades, elicited a great amount of interest among bidders,…
Auction IndustryMiró, Chagall, Hodler, de Chirico and Warhol lead Koller’s July auctions
Joan Miró (Montroig near Barcelona 1893–1983 Palma de Mallorca), Solitude III/III. 29 April 1960. Oil and charcoal on cardboard. Signed lower left: Miró. Signed, dated and titled on the reverse: MIRÓ. /29/4/60 / Solitude III/III. 75 × 105 cm. Estimate: CHF 320 000 / 380 000 | (€ 280 700 / 333 330). ZURICH.- Three works by Joan Miró will be offered in the 3 July Impressionist & Modern Art auction, including the panoramic-format oil on canvas simply entitled "Painting", 1953 (lot 3530, CHF 480 000/550 000). Along with "Solitude II/III" and "Tête 1" (lots 3527 and 3533, CHF 320 000/380 000 and 180 000/240 000), these works illustrate the master's complex use of numerical and alphabetic signs, and his very particular brand of lyrical abstraction. The deserted city square painted by Giorgio de Chirico in "Piazza d'Italia", 1945-49, is by now a familiar sight for most of us, but it was a recurring theme for de Chirico throughout his long career (lot 3553, CHF 100 000/150 000). Another theme which has been in the foreground in recent weeks is the private garden, and several works in the 3 July auction depict artists' gardens, including German Impressionist Max Liebermann's charming "Garden with potted palm and two feminine figures", 1908 (lot 3508, CHF 300 000/500 000). Swiss Art, 4 July 2020The auction of Swiss Art on 3 July presents works by Swiss masters such as Albert Anker, Ferdinand Hodler, Cuno Amiet, Giovanni and Augusto Giacometti, Adolf Dietrich, Felix Vallotton and Varlin. An important work by Cuno Amiet, "Mother and Child", painted in 1899 (lot 3322, CHF 380 000/480 000), was originally painted for the art collector Oscar Miller. It later hung in Amiet's dining room for many years before being acquired by collector Willy Russ-Young in 1928. For almost 90 years it was considered missing, until it was recently rediscovered in a private collection. A portrait of Susanna Michel-Mühlemann, 1903, reflects both Amiet's time spent in Pont-Aven and the influence of the Art Nouveau style (lot 3326, CHF 90 000/150 000). A head study for Ferdinand Hodler's iconic work "View to infinity"…
Auction IndustryKoller To Offer Old Masters And 19th Century Paintings Held For Decades In Private Collections
Marten van Cleve the Elder (and Workshop?), A village outdoor wedding. Oil on panel. 77 × 107.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 150 000/250 000. ZURICH.- A monumental, museum-quality tempera and gold ground on panel painting by Florentine artist Bicci di Lorenzo has come to auction at Koller after decades in a private collection (lot 3007, CHF 250 000/350 000). Created circa 1445/50, this is a mature work by Bicci, who received numerous important commissions in his day and worked alongside such masters as Domenico Veneziano and Piero della Francesca. In this masterwork, Bicci artfully blends the International Gothic style with his Florentine roots, utilising his unique and powerful technique to its fullest. Recently discovered in a Swiss private collection, an early still life by Milan artist Fede di Galizia is an extreme rarity on the art market (lot 3018, CHF 150 000/200 000). The daughter of miniature artist Nunzio Galizia, Fede managed not only to establish her place in a male-dominated profession, but to significantly contribute to the development of the still life genre in Italy in the early 17th century. Only about twenty of Fede Galizia’s still lifes are known, so this most recent addition to her body of work is certain to create a sensation. Other notable works in the Old Masters auction on 27 March include a pair of large-format harbour views by Charles François Lacroix de Marseille (lot 3073, CHF 200 000/300 000). Lacroix, who most likely trained under fellow French painter Charles-Joseph Vernet, is especially known for his small-format marine and landscape paintings; important works of the size of the present pair seldom come up at auction. An early floral still life by the pioneering master of the genre, Balthasar van der Ast, will also be offered (lot 3027, CHF 200 000/300 000), as well as a boisterous depiction of an outdoor wedding à la Brueghel by Marten van Cleve the Elder (lot 3021, CHF 150 000/250 000), and an early gold ground Crucifixion scene by the Master of the Misericordia, a sensitively-painted example from the rich period in Italian art following Giotto (lot 3011, CHF 50 000/70 000).…
