One story in particular has stayed with me:

Since the pandemic, the sale room seating has had to be spaced out and rows evened out, so we set up a side room in Villa Grisebach, complete with a monitor and microphone for live bidding – just like in the old days before we moved to Fasanenstraße 27.

In December 2021, a number of art lovers gathered in that adjoining room, which Martin Schmidt and I were overseeing. Among them was a middle-aged, inconspicuous couple that had already taken their seats at the front very early on. I didn’t know the gentleman beforehand, but he followed the auction with keen interest.

When Lot 10, Otto Dix’s “Selbstbildnis” from 1913, came up, he quietly began a call on his mobile phone. The painting, estimated at 200,000 to 300,000 euros, quickly reached its estimate, but bids in the main room continued to climb – until the unknown collector suddenly revealed his bidding number. I immediately phoned the auctioneer in the main hall: “Bid.” The main auction room held its ground – but the gentleman in the next room continued calmly placing bids, ear to the phone. This quiet duel continued, each round pushing the price higher – until the hammer finally reached one million euros. And it went on. With his interlocutor’s approval the customer on the phone finally placed the winning bid and the hammer fell at 1,300,000 euros – much to our surprise and that of the main room – and “Selbstbildnis” was sold to him. There was a brief pause. The couple rose from their seats and, with a quiet nod toward our podium in the next room, they took their leave. This not only marked a record price for Dix, but also one of the most exciting moments in my time at Grisebach.

Dr. Elke Ostländer
Art historian
With Grisebach since 1989

At an auction house, you learn not only about art, but also about people – sometimes about your own prejudices, sometimes about those of others. The scruffy millionaire really does exist, and a dose of humility is always wise. A few years ago, a nervous couple walked into the villa. They were tense, anxious, and clearly out of their depth. They wanted to show us a painting they had inherited. Before unpacking it, they explained that they had tried in vain to have it examined at a museum. They had emailed a photo of the very dirty painting to the expert in charge and had even spoken on the phone – but the lady on the other end had been dismissive. When the couple mentioned the artist’s name – hard to read on the grimy photo – she refused point blank to examine the original work. “No, that can’t be. I don’t have time for that,” she said. I can hear in your voice that the picture isn't real!”

My breath caught. What a thing to say! Despite its condition, the painting looked very promising. And as our research confirmed, it was indeed genuine. The work was painted by Camille Pissarro during a stay in London in 1897. After carefully cleaning the Impressionist painting and clarifying its provenance, we put it up for auction. The estimated price? 250,000 euros. The hammer price? Almost 1.3 million euros. The couple were overjoyed. Two weeks after the auction, the couple returned to our villa – this time bearing a case of marvellous red wine.

Dr. Markus Krause 
Modern Art specialist
Managing Director and Partner
With Grisebach since 2002

There are no ordinary words to describe the moment I opened the email attachment of the painting “Bockwürste auf Pappteller” (Bockwurst sausages on paper plates). I was completely blown away! It was so cool, so sassy.

At the time, I wouldn’t have been able to name the painting’s title. Stylistically, however – dated 1962/63 and signed “Lueg” on the reverse – it was immediately clear that this work was a remarkable testament to German Pop Art.

During my studies in Bonn, I had the opportunity to delve into the vibrant, lively, and rich art scene of the Rhineland in the 1960s, so I immediately recognised the significance of the piece. At the time, Stefan Germer and Margitta Buchert were giving seminars on contemporary art. In addition to museums, they focused on the Rhineland gallery scene. Five years after our painting was created, the Cologne Art Market was founded.

That period has stayed with me ever since my university days. And then I encountered this piece! The remarkable exhibition history of the painting was quickly clarified. It had never been shown inside a museum or gallery. In 1963, it was on show for a few days in the legendary exhibition “Leben mit Pop – eine Demonstration für den Kapitalistischen Realismus” at the Düsseldorf furniture store Berges, and in 1964, for a single day in the front garden show at Wuppertal’s Parnass gallery. By the time of the indoor gallery exhibition, it was no longer present because Konrad Lueg had given it away in the meantime. “Bockwürste auf Pappteller” inspired Grisebach to take a pop art approach to promoting it and our creative and press team produced a clip that I still enjoy watching today. The painting alternates with monochrome colour plates reflecting its palette, with words like “colourful,” “living with pop,” “political,” and “socially critical” appearing in sync. I could almost dance to it. The auction result established a world record for the artist that remains unbroken to this day. 

Anne Ganteführer-Trier
Contemporary Art specialist and North Rhine-Westphalia / Benelux Representative
With Grisebach since 2013