As Speaker of the Management, Daniel von Schacky is first among equals at Grisebach. Born as the son of a diplomat in Bonn in 1976, he grew up bilingual thanks to his American mother. After attending school in Berlin, he studied art history and international relations in Philadelphia. Upon graduating, von Schacky stayed on in New York, where he learned the ins and outs of the fine art trade from the ground up. His field is art created from 1960 to 2010.   

What fascinates von Schacky most about his work at Grisebach is how “every day is different.” There simply is no such thing as a routine in this business! Add to that his many encounters with collectors: “These are people with highly diverse personalities and very different interests. But one thing they never are, and that is boring.” Being able to visit these collectors in their homes and seeing how they interact with their art is something that von Schacky regards as a privilege and an inspiration.

Von Schacky’s background, education, and training have enabled him to assemble a tightly knit network across the Anglophone market. He just returned from London recently, “The auctions there are not just venues for selling art; they’re also places where you meet up with your existing contacts and canvas new clients.” Thus, von Schacky is the one mainly responsible for private sales at Grisebach. And he also collects for himself: coloured woodcuts by Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige, masters of the Ukiyo-e style (“pictures of the floating world” in Japanese). “This genre, which is an intriguing example of the cultural exchange between the East and the West during the 19th century, is a wonderful diversion from contemporary art.”     

Tip for culture enthusiasts:  
The Schinkel Pavilion behind the Berlin State Opera. Built under the Communist regime of the GDR in an eclectic mix of Classic and Modernist styles, it is now home to an art association that consistently manages to surprise us with exciting works of Contemporary Art, both old and new. 

She herself calls it “luck and many happy coincidences.” But to others, Diandra Donecker must look like one of those people for whom a day seems to have 48 hours rather than just 24. Her university studies in Munich focused on art history, modern German literature, and, for good measure, law as well. Then came a one-year internship at the graphics department of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, followed by a six-month stint at the British Museum in London.

After working for Christie’s from 2015 to 2017, she moved to Berlin to join Villa Grisebach. Two years later, at the age of only 27, Grisebach co-founder Bernd Schultz made her a partner. She still recalls this with gratitude as “a courageous and impressive step for him to take.” Having remained true to her passion for works on paper, she currently advises private and institutional clients on how to build up their collections. 

Among the Grisebach managers, it was she who identified the importance of making the auction house accessible to a wider public. A new, younger clientele prefers to be addressed differently, e.g. by being invited to openings, book presentations, and lectures. New media like Instagram or video clips make it easier to enter the world of art collecting. It was Diandra Donecker who conceived the online only auctions, the cooperations with publishers, fashion and design firms, as well as the Grisebach Podcast.  

What she appreciates about Grisebach is “the team’s good-humoured approach to work. That’s how it needs to be when you have four partners, but it’s not something you can take for granted.” She, too, makes new discoveries from time to time: “Irene Zurkinden is someone I got to know 2024 through Carlo Knoell at Hauser & Wirth in Basel. A few weeks ago, I saw her show at the Kulturstiftung H. Geiger, where I particularly admired her surrealist drawings. What an amazing woman!”

Tip for culture enthusiasts:
Irma Stern ranks as one of the best-known women artists of the early 20th century in her other homeland of South Africa. Initially celebrated in Berlin, she was later defamed as “degenerate” by the Nazis. You can enjoy an exhibition of her works at the Brücke-Museum in Dahlem, followed by an ice cream in their wonderful garden.

Even as a young woman, Micaela Kapitzky was intrigued by the idea of dealing in art. The Berlin native began working part-time as an assistant at the Villa Grisebach auction house, newly founded at the time, while still studying at university. This makes her the company’s longest-serving employee. Micaela Kapitzky became a partner in 2000. If an all-rounder can be said to have an area of expertise, then for her, it is modern art from 1900 to 1960. She wrote her master's thesis on Emil Nolde's time in Berlin. But that doesn't stop her from buying art “that I like” for herself. This most recently included an Italianate interior scene by a 19th century painter and a work by Asger Jorn. And this is definitely not the end of the range of styles that catch her fancy.

What continues to fascinate Micaela Kapitzky is her daily encounter with art: “Taking pictures out of their frames or passe-partouts is a special moment; you can discover a lot. Often, this can get very exciting.” Sometimes, you need solid nerves. Luckily, she has them, along with an even-tempered nature and the ability to keep the peace. Excellent prerequisites for mastering the tricky situations inherent to the art trade! 

In recent years, Micaela Kapitzky often has advised extended communities of heirs. Being able to keep calm, understand complex situations, and reconcile differing interests in such a context is not just helpful, it is a sine qua non. “And when you finally reach an agreement,” says the trained art historian, “that can be extremely satisfying.”

Tip for culture enthusiasts:
The funeral chapel at the cemetery known as the Dorotheenstädtischer Friedhof, with its deeply impressive light installation by James Turrell. A perfect interplay of light and space, a moving symbiosis of proportion and aesthetics that creates space for contemplation. Please note that the chapel only can be visited as part of a guided tour.

Markus Krause regularly takes great pleasure in the joy of the hunt that will come over him. “Discovering works of art, researching their history, is really quite fulfilling,” says the PhD in art history, who has been with Grisebach since 2002 (and became a partner in 2011).  “Also because I can assist with assigning a value to them that not only benefits the consignors but also the artworks themselves.” Markus Krause definitely is visually oriented, but his interest in art goes deeper: Besides the objective aspects of a work, what attracts him the most is what ultimately is inexplicable, inscrutable about art. In his view, this is the dimension that enables one to develop the sensory faculties needed to recognize artistic quality. 

Together with Micaela Kapitzky, Markus Krause serves as the Grisebach management quartet's specialist for modern art from 1900 until 1960. The 1920s have been a particular focus since he moved to Berlin in the mid-1980s to study art history and religion at the Freie Universität Berlin. He has broadened his interests since then and compiled catalogues raisonnés for Max Kaus, Heinz Trökes, and Karl Hartung. 

Before joining Grisebach, Markus Krause headed the art market section of the daily newspaper Tagesspiegel for five years. Designing the Selected Works catalogues remains his abiding passion alongside his work as an auctioneer. His responsibility for hanging works before each auction is one he takes seriously: “You can damage a work of art by placing it in unfavourable proximities,” Krause is convinced. He would not describe himself as a collector, “although my apartment is full of art.”  Most recently, he acquired a large painting by Thomas Scheibitz, whose colourful abstractions he finds particularly appealing.

Tip for culture enthusiasts:
The Ludes Foundation at the Villa Jacobs in Potsdam is an amazing place and a beautiful destination for a day trip.  Works by Karl Hartung will be on exhibit in the garden until September. www.ludes-stiftung.de