Works by Albert Renger-Patzsch led the way to solid results at the recent Photography and Contemporary Art sales at Kunsthaus Lempertz in Cologne. With five positive surprises (among a total of 20 across the sale) among the Renger-Patzsch lots on offer, including a close-up rattlesnake image which soared to more than 7X its high estimate, even an overall Buy-in rate of over 40% couldn’t dampen the outcome. In the end, the Total Sale Proceeds topped the aggregate pre-sale high estimate.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 206 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | NA |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €541700 |
| Total Lots Sold | 116 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 90 |
| Buy In % | 43.69% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €578683 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 194 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 110 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 84 |
| Low Buy In % | 43.30% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €367700 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €320143 |
| Mid Total Lots | 12 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 6 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 6 |
| Mid Buy In % | 50.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €174000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €258540 |
| Total High Lots | 0 |
| Total High Lots Sold | NA |
| Total High Lots Bought In | NA |
| High Buy In % | NA |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | €0 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | €0 |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 9, Karl Blossfeldt, Salvia argentea (Sage), 1920-1925, estimated at €18000-25000; it did not sell. The top outcome the sale was lot 20, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Natterkopf, 1925, estimated at €15000-20000, sold at €148800 (image in preview post).
Only 68.97% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range, but there were a total of 20 surprises in the sales (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Lempertz):
Lot 1, Wilhelm Schneider, Mann mit Jagdausrüstung, c1860, estimated at €1200, sold at €2976
Lot 4, Isaiah West Taber and other photographers, Views of Northern America and Mexico, 1880s/1890s, estimated at €1500-2000, sold at €17360
Lot 14, August Sander, Untitled (Twins), c1930, estimated at €800, sold at €1984
Lot 18, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Mantelpavian (Sacred Baboon), c1928, estimated at €5000-6000, sold at €31000
Lot 20, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Natterkopf, 1925, estimated at €15000-20000, sold at €148800 (image in preview post)
Lot 22, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Buchen I, 1925-1929, estimated at €2000-3000, sold at €7440
Lot 23, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Strumpffabrik Schocken, Chemnitz, 1925, estimated at €6000-8000, sold at €31000
Lot 26, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Near Essen, 1929, estimated at €4000-5000, sold at €24800
Lot 28, Alfred Ehrhardt, Wind formt feine Wellen in den Sand (from the series: Kurische Nehrung), 1934, estimated at €800-1000, sold at €6200
Lot 29, Kurt Kranz, Bauhaus Dessau, Werkstatt-Gebäude, Fassade, 1930, estimated at €1500-2000, sold at €4464
Lot 46, Robert Preil, Huthbild, Kurt Schwitters, 1919, estimated at €600-800, sold at €1984
Lot 78, Josef Bartuska, Untitled, 1935, estimated at €800, sold at €2976
Lot 116, Chargesheimer, Voodu, 1961, estimated at €1500-1800, sold at €5704
Lot 117, Chargesheimer, Mantra, 1961, estimated at €1500-1800, sold at €4712
Lot 127, Werner Bischof, Auf dem Weg nach Cuzco, Peru, 1954/later, estimated at €2000, sold at €4216
Lot 147, Peter Liebling, Sprung in die Freiheit, 1961, estimated at €1500, sold at €5208
Lot 165, Ralph Gibson, Untitled (from the series: The Somnambulist), 1969, estimated at €800, sold at €2480
Lot 176, Martin Parr, Untitled (from the series: British Food), 1995, estimated at €800, sold at €1612
Lot 177, Martin Parr, Untitled (from the series: Common Sense), 1997, estimated at €2000, sold at €4464
Lot 753, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Kühltürme, 1963-1969, estimated at €10000-15000, sold at €38440
Complete lot by lot results can be found here.
