Beckmann’s self-portrait achieves world-class result
Max Beckmann’s 1943 “Selbstbildnis gelb-rosa” sold for an international record price of 23.2 million euros at Grisebach in December 2022. It is the highest price ever paid for a work of art at auction in Germany and the second-highest worldwide for a self-portrait by the artist. With this landmark sale, Grisebach established a new international benchmark for the German art market, once again positioning Berlin as a world-ranking auction hub.

Manuela Alexejew-Brandl looks back with pride on one of her major recent projects. In Berlin-Dahlem, she has transformed an ageing house with vision, subtlety and remarkable stamina. Today, she is gradually filling it with contemporary art. For the light-filled living room in the extension –that is even bathed in winter sun – Gerson Fehrenbach acquired a bronze from Grisebach. The intertwined double figure, she explains, also symbolises her bond with her husband Carlos: “Our dream is for the bronze to remain in this place forever, for generations to come.”

Spectacular sale of the legendary Rohde-Hinze collection
In July 2015, Grisebach had the special honour of reappraising and auctioning the final major collection of old art from 1920s Berlin: 384 remarkable works in the categories of Decorative Arts and Old Masters. With spectacular hammer prices and a sales rate approaching 90 percent, the auction takings totalled an outstanding 6,750,000 euros, cementing its place as a stand-out moment in Grisebach’s history.

World record for Per Kirkeby
In the summer of 2025, six telephone bidders from Germany and abroad competed for the large-format oil painting “Fünf” from 1989. The sale price of 571,500 euros is the highest sum ever paid for a work by the artist at auction.

László Moholy-Nagy breaks the mould
At the 2018 summer auctions, a unique photogram by László Moholy-Nagy – a one-of-a-kind work from his Weimar Bauhaus period – was acquired by an American collector for 487,500 euros, following a bidding battle with two other interested parties.

The sale marked a quantum leap for the German photography market and underlined the enduring significance of the Bauhaus master on the international art stage.

Bauhaus forever!
In 2019, the Bauhaus celebrated its centenary – and Grisebach joined in the celebrations. At the ORANGERIE auction “bauhaus forever!”, nearly 250 works spanning a wide range of genres attracted strong demand. The top lot was a coffee and tea service by Naum Slutzky, acquired by the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg for 225,000 euros.

The Calábria Collection
The special auction of the collection of former Brazilian ambassador to the German Democratic Republic, Mario Calábria, was a resounding success in December 2020. With a sales rate approaching 100 percent by lot and prices often doubling estimates, the auction saw record results for important works of GDR non-conformist art as well as abstract and concrete pieces from the West, creating an electric atmosphere both in the auction room and on the phones.

Patrick Gehlen is fascinated by references and context. The initial emotional spark, which is then rationalised through reference and context, plays a key role in his decision to acquire a work, he explains. In 2017, for instance, something clicked when a painting by Bauhaus artist and photographer Xanti Schawinsky came up for sale at Grisebach: “Schawinsky was incredibly versatile, constantly reinventing himself across a wide variety of styles, media and formats. For me, this almost photorealistic painting from his late period has a spherical quality that transcends the tension between abstraction and figuration in his work, not to mention the aesthetics of this wonderfully crumpled sheet of paper.”

Another milestone in German auction history: world record for Adolph von Menzel
On 26 November 2014, Grisebach made auction history once again. The gouache “Stehende Rüstungen” by Adolph von Menzel, estimated at 100,000 euros, sold for a staggering 3,295,000 euros. A Swiss private collector secured the spectacular work after a fierce bidding battle on the phones and in the auction room. This result set a new Menzel record at Fasanenstraße, surpassing the previous record held by Sotheby’s by more than one million euros.

The sheet, part of Menzel’s “Rüstkammerphantasien” (Armoury Fantasies) series created in 1866 at the Berlin City Palace, had been a favourite motif of the artist’s dealer Hermann Pächter.

Pächter’s Jewish wife, Adele, was forced to sell it in the 1930s due to persecution. After several changes of ownership, it was acquired in 1941 via Hans W. Lange for the planned Führermuseum in Linz. After the war, the work was transferred to the Albertina in Vienna by the Federal Monuments Office. From there it was returned to Adele Pächter’s heirs, who entrusted it to Grisebach for sale.

New objectivity
In recent years, Grisebach has become renowned for exceptional New Objectivity portraits. Anton Räderscheidt’s “Haus Nr. 9” subtly captures inner torment against the backdrop of the roaring twenties’ external dynamism, while his self-portrait in a black suit conveys a quiet, armoured introspection. Rudolf Schlichter’s portrait of Helene Weigel, which emancipates itself not only from utopian ideals but also from traditional gender roles, belongs in this group. Curt Querner’s meticulous facial landscapes reveal the hidden histories etched into every wrinkle, Schlichter’s “Speedy” evokes a playful exploration of female identity, and Hans Grundig’s “Schüler mit roter Mütze” reflects the vacant gaze of weary youth, recognising that the best moments of life may already lie behind them. Loss of utopia, emotional control, the play with identities and liberation from prescribed roles are the central themes of these New Objectivity portraits – and, in many ways, of our current twenties as well.

“The picture is small, but it stays with you,” said Filip Dames. “It is no coincidence that it bears the title Sendero luminosos” – the luminous path.” The Berlin entrepreneur’s collection began many years ago with another work by A. R. Penck, and he has since added further works by the artist. The couple acquired the compact painting at the most recent Contemporary Art auction. “Small formats often have a more radical impact – concentrated, unprotected, immediate,” said Luisa Dames, founder of the shoe brand Aeyde. Penck’s work is closely intertwined with his biography:  in 1980, he was expatriated from the GDR and emigrated to West Germany.

The Sander Collection
A particular highlight in June 2021 was the auction of the “Sander Collection,” whose origins trace back to the internationally renowned photographer August Sander. After a thrilling bidding battle, Franz Wilhelm Seiwert’s painting “Wandbild für einen Fotografen” soared past expectations, reaching 1,225,000 euros (estimate: 400,000–600,000) and simultaneously setting a new world record for the artist.  The iconic 1925 work is now on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. With a sales value exceeding 200 percent of estimates, the auction underscored the collection’s extraordinary resonance on the market.