The Düsseldorf school of painting triumphed at Van Ham's "Fine Art" auction in the spring: all twenty offered works from the private collection of Dirk and Ursula Budde from Kerken found buyers, including six still lifes by Johann Wilhelm Preyer and his daughter Emilie, who far were added via tax.

A still life with a champagne flute by the father's hand reached 95,000 euros (estimate 35,000 to 45,000 euros), the counterpart by the daughter 60,000 euros (20,000/25,000).

Eugen Bracht's landscape “Sautreff” was pushed up to 110,000 euros;

the estimate for the 93 by 161 centimeter painting was 20,000 to 25,000 euros.

The biggest surprise, however, was an Old Master painting: "John the Baptist as a Boy with the Lamb" by an unknown Flemish painter of the early 17th century.

Century succeeded at 200,000 euros, twenty-five times its upper estimate, and goes to the art foundation The Phoebus Foundation in Antwerp.

Van Ham's "Fine Art" auction brought in 3.1 million euros;

1.5 million had been expected.

Also in May, Lempertz auctioned his offer with old art and the 19th century.

The highlight of the event was Bartolomé Esteban Murillo's "Madonna of the Rosary" from around 1645/50 with prominent provenance, which was sold for its underestimate at one million euros (up to 1.5 million).

The portrait of a "peasant wedding" by Jan Miense Molenaer was created around 1660 and went to a private collection for 280,000 euros (200,000/250,000).

A Dutch collection was only able to secure Edwaert Collier's "Vanitas Still Life with Nautilus Goblet and a Bust" for 100,000 euros (8000/12,000).

The top lot among the 19th century works, Ettore Simonetti's lively depiction of an amphora dealer in a bazaar, got stuck with an estimate of 200,000 to 250,000 euros.

Friedrich Nerly's view of Venice at night managed to sell for 42,000 euros (up to 50,000).

Together, the auctions turned over 5.15 million euros compared to an expectation of 5.7 million.

In June, the Cologne auction houses continued with modern and contemporary art.

In the "Evening Sale" at Lempertz, Günther Förg led the contemporary offer with his untitled, six-part acrylic work on lead from 1989 with a hammer price of 500,000 euros (up to 600,000).

Just behind, with a result of 480,000 euros, was Zdeněk Sýkora's "Lines No. 102" from 1992, which went to a Czech collector (180,000/250,000).

"Der Jäger (Remix)" by Georg Baselitz made it to 460,000 euros (up to 550,000).

For Lempertz' contemporaries, Karl Hartung's bronze sculpture “Große Liegende” from 1951 outshined the auction: valued at up to 170,000 euros, a Berlin collection won for 480,000 euros.

Lovis Corinth's "Römische Blumen" went to northern Germany for 410,000 euros, which was higher than the estimate (250,000/300,000).

George Grosz's 1922 watercolor "Crooks at the Bar" was raised to its top estimate of 300,000 euros by a Berlin collection.

With a hammer price of 160,000 euros, the oil painting “Roof Ghosts” by Gert Heinrich Wollheim set an international record (30,000).

Together, the events brought in 11.5 million euros.

Lempertz' total turnover for the first half of the year is 25.9 million euros.

Van Ham also held its “Modern Week” in early summer, but the auctions were overshadowed by works withdrawn from the offer due to suspected forgery.

Among the remaining modernist lots, Georg Kolbe's bronze "Javanische Tanzerin" was one of four lifetime casts at the top with 280,000 euros (up to 300,000).

Lovis Corinth's lavish bouquet of roses from 1913 was only recently restituted by the Royal Museums in Brussels to the heirs of the Jewish previous owners, the Frankfurt couple Gustav and Emma Mayer.

At 240,000 euros, it was under estimate (250,000/350,000).

On the other hand, Hannah Höch trumped her estimate with her 1920 watercolor "Bürgerliches Bridal Couple"; the hammer fell at 180,000 euros (100,000/150,000).

Gerhard Richter led the contemporaries with his abstract "6.2.1988" and made it to 250.

000 euros (up to 300,000) and ended up in a Berlin private collection.

James Rizzi's market-fresh "New Yorker" picture "My City is now your City", which more than tripled its top estimate at 95,000 euros, set an international record.

At the beginning of June, Van Ham auctioned 37 lots from the bankruptcy estate of the late Berlin gallery owner Michael Schultz.

Cornelia Slime's two-part work "Trugschluss" from 2007 was sold at 33,000 euros (up to 35,000), also an international auction record.

The painting "Mobiler Raum im Garten III" by the artist SEO managed to sell for 36,000 euros (12,000/18,000).

Together, the “Modern” art at Van Ham brought in 16 million euros;

overall, the half-year turnover of the house is 22.8 million.