Auction House Profile
Ketterer Kunst
European · Founded 1954 · Munich, Germany
Ketterer Kunst is a German family-owned auction house founded by Wolfgang Ketterer in 1954, specialising in Modern and Contemporary Art, 19th Century Art and Rare Books.
Auction Highlight
Alexej von Jawlensky — Spanische Tänzerin
Alexej von Jawlensky's Spanische Tänzerin, painted in 1909, represents one of the defining auction results in Ketterer Kunst's history. The powerful Expressionist portrait belongs to the decisive period in which Jawlensky developed the intensely coloured, increasingly simplified heads that became central to his contribution to European Modernism. Offered in Ketterer Kunst's Evening Sale in Munich in June 2024, the painting sold for €8.338 million including surcharge against a €7 million estimate, establishing the highest result in the auction house's history.
View the Ketterer Kunst lot ↗Fine art sales
0
Specialist sales
2
Founded
1954
Last sync
05 Sept, 02:44 am
Overview
Ketterer Kunst was founded by Wolfgang Ketterer in Stuttgart in 1954 and developed from a modern-art gallery into one of Germany's leading auction houses. The business moved to Munich in the 1960s, where Wolfgang Ketterer held his first Modern Art auction in 1968. During the following decades the company expanded its activities across Modern Art, Post-War and Contemporary Art, 19th Century Art, Rare Books and other collecting fields. In 1989 Ketterer acquired the historic Hamburg auction house F. Dörling, strengthening its activities in northern Germany and in the Rare Books market. The business adopted the name Ketterer Kunst in 1991, and Wolfgang Ketterer's son Robert Ketterer assumed management in 1994. Ketterer was an early adopter of digital auction technology, placing catalogues online during the early years of the commercial internet and holding an online-only auction in 2007. In 2008 the company moved into a purpose-built headquarters in Munich-Riem with dedicated auction and exhibition spaces. Today Ketterer Kunst remains family-owned and operates from Munich with additional offices and representation in Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne and other German regions. Its core market is Modern and Contemporary Art, supported by specialist expertise in provenance research, scholarly cataloguing, 19th Century Art and Rare Books.
Specialties & Departments
Specialties
Departments
Featured Upcoming Lot
05 Dec 2026
Emil Schumacher
Bleibild B-3/1970
Mixed media. Rolled lead with asphalt on hardboard · 99.5 x 78 cm
Day Sale · Lot 125001019
Auction Calendar
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Upcoming Fine Art Auctions
No upcoming sales recorded.
Specialist & Collectable Auctions (2)
Broader specialist, collectable, estate and mixed-category auctions that may include culturally significant material beyond the main fine art departments.
Recent Market Activity
Recently Closed Sales
Recently closed art auctions from Ketterer Kunst. When available, GCR displays either the official sale cover or a representative highlighted lot.
13 June 2026
Results processingDay Sale
The auction has closed. Results are currently being processed.
Cover image from a representative lot by Andy Warhol · Lot 132
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12 June 2026
Results processingEvening Sale
The auction has closed. Results are currently being processed.
Cover image from a representative lot by Wassily Kandinsky · Lot 25
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Saleroom
Locations
Munich
Germany
Headquarters, principal auction house and exhibition space
Hamburg
Germany
Auction-house office with longstanding Rare Books activity
Berlin
Germany
Regional office and exhibition location
Cologne
Germany
Regional office and client services
Timeline
Wolfgang Ketterer opens an art gallery in Stuttgart, establishing the business that later becomes Ketterer Kunst.
The business relocates from Stuttgart to Villa Stuck in Munich and develops into an important centre for Modern Art.
Wolfgang Ketterer holds his first auction in Munich, an early dedicated auction for Modern Art in Bavaria.
Ketterer opens a branch in New York as its international collector base expands.
The growing Munich operation moves to the Carolinenpalais near the Alte Pinakothek.
Wolfgang Ketterer acquires the historic Hamburg auction house F. Dörling.
Galerie Wolfgang Ketterer is renamed Ketterer Kunst.
Robert Ketterer takes over management of the family business.
Ketterer Kunst relocates its Munich headquarters to the Palais Prinz Alfons von Bayern on Prinzregentenstraße.
Ketterer holds its first online-only auction and records its first million-euro result when Emil Nolde's Nadja sells for more than €2.5 million.
The company opens its purpose-built House for Art headquarters in Munich-Riem, providing auction, exhibition and specialist spaces.
Alexej von Jawlensky's Spanische Tänzerin sells for €8.338 million, becoming the highest auction result in Ketterer Kunst's history.
Market Notes
Sale formats
References
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