The attractiveness of art auctions and the top 14 auction houses in Germany

Since the financial and real estate crisis of 2008/2009, the financial world has been in turmoil – including a Euro crisis, which was managed through years of low interest rates and an unprecedented flood of money in the markets, the Corona pandemic, the energy price shock as a result of the Ukraine war, persistent inflation, the increase in global tensions, de-globalization trends and multifaceted risks for investments of all kinds.

The eternal search for a safe investment

It's no wonder, then, that investors are constantly on high alert and follow the financial news with a growing sense of unease every day. Gone seem to be the days of the great stock market guru Kostolany, when one could invest one's money once and then calmly watch it grow. The real estate sector, too, has come down from the exhilarating times of recent years.

For the “average German investor” who tends to be conservative in trying to grow their money with fixed-income investments or broadly diversified funds and real estate, recent developments have the unfortunate consequence that, with such an investment strategy, which can be considered presumably safe, their money steadily loses value inflation

In such a setting, the alternatives slowly run out…

It's no wonder that many people have lost interest in investing in stocks, an interest that was only fueled in Germany by the expansive monetary policy of the last decade (including the gold rush surrounding Bitcoin, NFTs, and the like). Previously, this area was primarily frequented by financial market specialists (who generally didn't intend to earn their retirement there, but rather used "play money," i.e., money they didn't urgently need, to invest in any obscure investment).

If the average person wants to secure their savings for the future, they currently don't have many alternatives if they don't want to entrust their money to the nearest financial institution for use and simultaneous devaluation. Even the price of gold, , has now reached a level that makes future returns questionable.

Alternative investments are investments in tangible assets, and investing in a tangible asset always requires a thorough understanding of the asset being invested in. For example, if you want to invest in real estate , you should have knowledge of location valuation and development, be able to assess the quality of a building's structure, have an overview of all ancillary costs, from maintenance fees for owner-occupied properties to insurance and management fees, and understand interest rates and their composition. A good sense for whether the provider is reputable and whether the property in question will appreciate in value at its location is also essential.

Of course, you can entrust all of this to a good advisor, but as a complete layperson, you'll be pretty much at their mercy – one reason why investors repeatedly report significant losses on real estate investments. The chaotic policies of the coalition government and the constantly evolving regulations and energy policy requirements for new construction and renovations further contribute to the uncertainty.

This knowledge can certainly be acquired independently, but not everyone is interested in learning everything about the background of a real estate investment, especially if they don't really care about real estate and just want to keep their savings safe.

As always in life, knowledge is most easily acquired when the learner has a genuine interest in the subject matter, and if they choose an object of personal passion as an investment, this knowledge is already present. This is precisely why investments in unique furniture , design objects from past decades, cars , rare Watches , precious porcelain, or valuable art experiencing a real boom.

The resilience of the art market

“When the stock market falls, the art market flourishes.”

In times of heightened uncertainty, whether due to wars or the resurgence of inflation, high-quality art proves to be a stable asset whose prices are based on rarity and social value. The historical resilience of art has been impressively demonstrated during the Great Depression of 1929, the Second World War, the dot-com bubble, the 2008 financial crisis, and most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic.

During each of these social and economic upheavals, far-sighted investors chose to diversify their portfolios with art and use it as an investment to protect their assets.

This trend can be traced back to the present day. Amidst economic turmoil, such as the uncertainties triggered by global pandemics and geopolitical tensions, collectors and art lovers seek permanence and appreciation in value through timeless works of art. This can range from Renaissance masterpieces to modern pop art, which survive the unpredictable currents of the financial market.

Explanation of the graphic:

• LiveArt Index – Auction houses, valuation and financial companies, banks, and galleries worldwide use LiveArt's industry-leading AI-powered products to enhance their services and grow their businesses. The LiveArt Index accesses over 10 million auction records, updated in real time, and live streams from the 25 largest auction houses worldwide to calculate the art market.
• S&P 500 – The S&P 500 is a stock market index that includes the shares of 500 of the largest publicly traded US companies.
• FTSE 100 – The FTSE 100 Index, or Financial Times Stock Exchange Index, is the most important British stock index.
• Maddox Gallery & Art Advisory – Founded in 2015, Maddox has quickly established itself as a leading company in the contemporary and modern art sector. Regarded as a pioneer in the art world, the company offers superior advisory services for art investments . According to Maddox Art Advisory, its clients have achieved an average annual return of 25.7% over the past seven years.
• WSJ Markets Data – The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is the benchmark source for news and information on business, finance, economics, and money. The WSJ provides facts, data, and information, not claims or opinions.

What are the reasons for the strong art market?

The reasons for this stable art market are manifold. High-quality art is characterized by its uniqueness and cultural significance. A painting by Leonardo da Vinci or Andy Warhol is far more than a decorative object; it is a piece of history, a reflection of its time, and an investment in eternity. The limited availability of such works and the increasing demand from new, global markets ensure continuous price increases and guarantee investors a stable investment.

In the context of the historical recovery of art prices after economic crises, engaging with the fascinating world of art is not only financially prudent but also culturally enriching. Those who delve deeper into the periods and styles, such as Pointillism, which is dominated by halftone dots, discover not only new investment opportunities but also a world of unlimited aesthetic and intellectual enrichment.

Don't hesitate to delve deeper into this topic and visit exhibitions or browse relevant galleries and auction houses. The enduring value of art is guaranteed not only by economic stability but also by the ceaseless human fascination with beauty and creativity.

Art auctions on the rise

Art is of course particularly well suited as a tangible investment; it is usually not as fragile as porcelain , cannot break down and thus become worthless like a watch, and in most cases is smaller than a car or even a piece of furniture, so the investor does not need to own a villa on a large property.

Art auctions are therefore taking place almost everywhere at the moment, and with unusual frequency, much to the delight of the auction houses. Whether customers can also rejoice depends on whether some considerations have been made in the run-up to the auction.

Similar to real estate, art auctions require not only expertise in the art that is of particular interest to you, but also the ability to develop a feel for trends beyond this interest, and you must also be purely business-minded, comparing the costs exceeding the purchase price, from fees and ancillary costs to insurance.

An example of a current trend: Asian art is currently in high demand , and as more and more people in China become increasingly wealthy, demand is rising even further. However, experts already see the reason for this goldmine: the market is actually already oversaturated with regard to artworks from China.

Against this background, it is not certain whether the buyer who 47 million euros for the painting “Eagle on Pine” by the Chinese painter Qi Baishi really made a worthwhile investment (quite apart from the fact that the discussion about whether it is a forgery is probably still not over).

The possibility of buying a forgery at an art auction is a realistic risk, and the not infrequent overvaluation of a work of art ultimately leads to a poor investment. Therefore, you should be well-informed, conduct thorough research, choose your auction house wisely, and exercise a good deal of caution if you want to be happy with your art purchase.

African art also reported on developments in this segment of the art market in our article " African Art – The Rise of African Art"

The 14 most prestigious auction houses in Germany

top 14 list of German auction houses for your convenience . Simply click on the cross to the left of the name to display more information and details about the respective auction house. We ask for your understanding if certain other highly recommended addresses were omitted from this selection.

We will not list the international auction houses active in Germany here, such as Christie's , Dorotheum, Phillips , or Sotheby's . We have already covered the two auction houses vying for international dominance, Christie's and Sotheby's, in separate articles.

Lempertz Art Gallery (Cologne)

The renowned art auction house Lempertz is the oldest family-owned auction house in the world, with origins dating back to 1798. Lempertz organizes approximately two dozen art auctions annually, which can also be followed online. Since 2000, the house has been a proud member of International Auctioneers, a network of eight leading independent auction houses worldwide.

In the historic halls of this venerable auction house, works by over 10,000 artists have already been auctioned, including masterpieces by Pablo Picasso , Salvador Dalí , and Gerhard Richter . The Cologne auction house is particularly renowned for its expertise in photography, modern art, contemporary art, and Asian art. Furthermore, significant pieces from the Schwarzach Collection have also found new owners here.

The company headquarters at Cologne's Neumarkt is something like the headquarters of an empire. The building itself, built in 1952 and now a listed historical monument as a symbol of the post-war era's new beginning, dominates the square. It was founded in 1802; the first auction took place two hundred years ago, in 1811.

Today, Henrik Hanstein runs the business in the fifth generation, offering everything that attracts art lovers and collectors: from late Gothic sculpture to photography, from Old Master paintings to the young avant-garde, from silver and porcelain to furniture and jewelry, old manuscripts, books and non-European art.

Lempertz maintains branches in Brussels (from next year in a fantastic auction house built in 1904 by Jules Barbier), Berlin and Munich, and is the only house in Germany organized in the network of the “International Auctioneers” – alongside renowned houses such as Koller in Zurich and the Dorotheum in Vienna.

Lempertz is the largest and most active company of its kind in Germany – and a pioneer in many fields: Together with the Cologne University of Applied Sciences for Restoration, it is now initiating a center of excellence for forgery detection. Meanwhile, Henrik Hanstein's daughter Alice has joined the family business as a specialist in Old Masters. Lempertz is now in its sixth generation.

Neumarkt 3 | 50667 Cologne | Tel 02 21 – 925 72 90

www.lempertz.com

Van Ham Art Auctions (Cologne)

The renowned Van Ham , located in the idyllic south of Cologne, is a second-generation family business. Markus Eisenbeis has successfully managed the company since 1996, having taken it over from his mother, Carola Van Ham, who founded the house in 1959.

Despite a relatively short presence in the auction market, the Van Ham family has built an impressive international reputation. Positioned as generalists, the house focuses primarily on modern and contemporary art – two indispensable art movements today. In addition, the auction house possesses profound expertise in the areas of fine art, post-war art, and jewelry and Watches .

Nearly three million euros for a painting by Rembrandt's pupil Gerrit Dou, 230,000 for a transformation table by David Roentgen or 134,000 for a Hamburg coin-lidded cup from 1695: Van Ham plays in the Champions League.

Each year, the auction house holds approximately 18 high-profile auctions, supplemented by around 35 online art auctions. In 2021, works by renowned artists such as Kurt Schwitters and Paula Modersohn-Becker from Dresden were successfully auctioned. A particular highlight was the auction of Andy Warhol's "Flowers" series, which fetched nearly €2.2 million.

Markus Eisenbeis is successfully working to inspire a younger audience not only with modern and contemporary art, but also with the elegance of the Biedermeier period or the joie de vivre of the Baroque, with the craftsmanship of a Rococo chest of drawers or the majestic dignity of a credenza made of Augsburg silver.

Every piece is documented with art historical evidence, every provenance verified by the Art Loss Register. And time and again, offers come up that don't require the acquisition budget of a major museum.

Schönhauser Str. 10–16 | 50968 Cologne | Tel 02 21 – 925 86 20

www.van-ham.com

Ketterer Art (Stuttgart)

In 1954, Wolfgang Ketterer a gallery in Stuttgart before later moving to the Villa Stuck in Munich, where he exhibited works by artists including Horst Janssen and Erich Heckel. The first auction of modern art followed in 1968, where works by Pissarro and Degas fetched remarkable five-figure sums.

Since then, Ketterer Kunst established itself as an indispensable part of Germany's leading auction houses. Its comprehensive expertise covers 19th-century art, Classical Modernism, as well as post-war and contemporary art.

Ketterer Kunst achieved particularly outstanding success with German Expressionists: paintings by Emil Nolde and Max Pechstein were auctioned by the auction house, now located in eastern Munich, for 2.5 and 3.5 million euros respectively. Furthermore, the company continues to play a key role in organizing art exhibitions.

With a specialization in the auctioning of valuable books, Ketterer Kunst is also successful in this field. In 2019, a Bible from the Gutenberg press was auctioned for one million euros – this represents the highest sale price ever achieved for a Bible.

Joseph-Wild-Str. 18 | 81829 Munich | Tel 089 55 244 0

www.kettererkunst.de

Karl & Faber (Munich)

In 1923, the renowned auction house Karl & Faber founded by Georg Karl and Curt von Faber du Faur, initially specializing in the sale and auction of books. This passion for books and their keen eye for art objects laid the foundation for a continuous success story.

Following its acquisition by Rupert Keim and his family, the company, under new management, became synonymous with expertise and reliability in the art market. Karl & Faber excels through extensive knowledge in diverse art fields, such as Expressionism, Old Masters , contemporary art, and highly specialized provenance research .

An additional aspect that makes the auction house unique is its international presence. With offices in art-historically significant cities such as London, New York, Milan, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, and Vienna, Karl & Faber offers its clients worldwide first-class service and access to exceptional works of art.

This harmonious interplay of tradition, specialized knowledge and global reach makes Karl & Faber a distinctive player in the international art market. 

Amirapl. 3 | 80333 Munich | Tel 089 22 18 65

www.karlundfaber.de

Art auction house Schloss Ahlden (Ahlden)

The striking moated castle, built of half-timbered timber and red brick, was a place of exile for the unfaithful Princess Sophie Dorothea of ​​Brunswick-Lüneburg for 32 years.

Since 1975, the Berlin auctioneers Karin and Florian Seidel have used the historic castle as a repository for art; in three major auctions each year, visitors can discover not only furniture and paintings from the Baroque and Art Nouveau periods to modern times, but also, Meissen porcelain and fine silver. And sometimes, even the treasures of a modern-day master painter…

Große Str. 1 | 29693 Ahlden | pikTel 051 64 – 801 00

www.schloss-ahlden.de

Leo Spik Art Auctions (Berlin)

This traditional auction house has been family-owned for over 90 years and sees itself as a true generalist: four auctions a year, always offering the full range of antiques and furniture, Old Masters and Asian art, silver and glass, icons, pocket watches , and jewelry. In other words, Spik simply has everything.

Kurfürstendamm 66 | 10707 Berlin | Tel 030 – 883 61 70

www.leo-spik.de

Neumeister Art Auction House (Munich)

Just a few steps from the Pinakotheken art museums lies the Neumeister auction house – a Munich institution. The royal Wittelsbach dinner service was a highlight in the house's history, but there was always room for art from Africa and Oceania, for 1970s fashion, or for Bavarian folk art.

Old Masters and modern pieces are part of the collection, including silver and porcelain, courtly furniture, and farmhouse cupboards from the Alpine foothills. Three years ago, on its 50th anniversary, Katrin Stoll, the daughter of the company's founder Rudolf Neumeister, took over the management of the family business.

True to tradition, it represents a broad spectrum – yet it also set fresh accents: It opened a dedicated showroom for modern art, classic design, and photography. The "Galerie Neumeister" is also located in the art district next to the Pinakotheken museums.

Barerstr. 37 | 80799 Munich | Tel 089 – 231 71 00

www.neumeister.com

Von Zezschwitz Art and Design (Munich)

Even a traditional company can reinvent itself. At Von Zezschwitz, this is happening carefully. For years, the house has been considered a top address for lovers of Art Nouveau and Art Deco – and that's how it's going to stay: lamps and ceramics, bronzes, glass, silver, and again and again furniture from the era of flowing and budding forms are the focus of the approximately six auctions per year.

Recently, however, modern design and contemporary art have been receiving more attention, and Biedermeier and Baroque pieces, Asian art, and Meissen porcelain are also occasionally available. A greater range, then.

Depth is still provided by the art historian Graham Dry, a long-time specialist of the house for art and crafts of the 19th and early 20th centuries, an institution far beyond everyday business and Munich circles – for example, when he answers even the most complicated questions of his readers about the provenance and price of their heirlooms in the “Collector’s Journal”.

Friedrichstr. 1A | 80801 Munich | Tel 080 – 389 89 30

www.von-zezschwitz.de

Schmidt Art Auctions (Dresden)

The small auction house from the former East Germany is struggling to attract consignors and potential buyers. Occasionally, Old Master paintings are restituted and come up for auction, and the supply of silver is plentiful. But, as auctioneer James Schmidt laments, there isn't much space furniture

But that's alright: Next year, the officer's villa from 1857, which the trained architect is converting in the Radeberg suburb, will be finished. Because overall, the business has grown considerably in the six years since the auction house was founded.

Bautzner Str. 6 | O1099 Dresden | Tel 03 51 – 81 19 87 87

www.schmidt-auktionen.de

Kunsthaus Arnold (Frankfurt am Main)

Being an auctioneer and only an auctioneer – that's a principle for Karl Michael Arnold. A bit of independent art dealing on the side is out of the question for him: he fears the conflict of interest and avoids it.

Having been in the business for 25 years, and having grown up in the auction house his grandfather founded, Arnold cultivates good neighborly relations. This, too, is a principle: he champions the art academy at the Städel Museum and auctions wine for the Red Cross – because it's fun to really let loose and entertain a room full of people with the thrill of a (charity) auction, and because commitment and good connections mean a great deal, especially in a civic city like Frankfurt.

The range of products offered at his nine annual auctions is correspondingly diverse: jewelry and modern art, Old Masters, graphics, silver, porcelain, Asiatica and of course furniture from all eras.

Bleichstr. 40–42 | 60313 Frankfurt am Main | Tel 069 – 28 27 79

www.auktionshaus-arnold.de

Wilhelm M. Döbritz Art and Auction House (Frankfurt am Main)

These are treasures and precious objects that Anja Döbritz-Berti has gathered in the auction house that her father Wilhelm H. Döbritz founded in Frankfurt 45 years ago: important collections from the region and beyond, and precious, highly valued individual pieces.

In three to four major auctions per year, in addition to special auctions also held in the spacious branch at the Main harbor, they offer silver and porcelain, paintings and sculptures, Asian art, carpets and furniture from the Baroque through Biedermeier and Art Deco periods to the Danish designer Arne Jacobsen. And of course, time and again: the famous Frankfurt wave-front cabinets.

Braubachstr. 10-12 | 60311 Frankfurt am Main | Tel 069 – 28 77 33 / 069 – 21 99 62 13

www.doebritz.de

Michael Zeller Auction House (Lindau)

A Lake Constance cabinet or an Ulm chest of drawers, silver from Augsburg or Biberach, an Alpine piece of furniture or a 19th-century view of Mainau Island – yes, the immediate and more distant surroundings are well represented. Alongside this, however, Michael Zeller offers an unusually wide range of art and curiosities from all eras and continents, from ancient Egyptian ushabtis to a Michigan jukebox, from Nymphenburg porcelain to a Buddha made of volcanic stone.

And because the auction business is so colorful and diverse, the man, who started in 1968 as the youngest auctioneer in Germany, likes to lead a group of curious people through his beautiful patrician house in the city center of Lindau and explain when one is allowed to raise one's hand in an auction.

Bindergasse 7 | 88131 Lindau | Tel 083 82 – 930 20

www.zeller.de

Nagel Auctions (Stuttgart)

Anyone who wants to represent the country's treasures in a worthy manner, from Ulm Gothic to the Classical Modernism of a Willi Baumeister or Oskar Schlemmer – needs space.

Nagel auction house has seven floors showcasing the items offered in approximately 18 auctions per year. From furniture and Old Masters to porcelain and silver, everything that once delighted kings and captains of industry is represented.

The focus is on carpets and modern art, and more recently on design – and above all, on Asian art. A spectacular event was the auction of 356,000 porcelain pieces from the junk "Tek-Sing," which sank in 1822; for this auction, the auction house commissioned the construction of a replica junk in front of Stuttgart's main train station in 2000.

Even today, it's not uncommon for a Chinese collector to offer a million euros for a piece of furniture from their homeland. A particularly helpful resource is the "Nagel Auction Price Index" (NAX), which provides an online overview of several thousand artworks and objects auctioned at Nagel, including images, detailed descriptions, estimated prices, and actual sale prices. The richly decorated enamel box can be found there, offered in 2007 for 900 euros. It sold for 300,000 euros!

Neckarstr. 189–191 | 70190 Stuttgart | Tel 07 11 – 64 96 90

www.auction.de

Grisebach Auction House (Berlin- Charlottenburg)

In 1892, the renowned architect Hans Grisebach commissioned the Villa Grisebach in Berlin-Charlottenburg, just a stone's throw from Kurfürstendamm. This magnificent property served as both his residence and studio. Almost a century later, in 1986, five respected art dealers opened the prestigious Grisebach auction house .

In its founding year, Grisebach generated significant profits and quickly established itself as a leading player in the German art market of the 20th century and Classical Modernism. Today, the auction house achieves considerable sales with works by important artists such as Max Beckmann and Lyonel Feininger, as well as renowned Expressionists like Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Emil Nolde, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

In addition to high-caliber auctions, Grisebach also offers newcomers with a passion for art the opportunity to participate. The so-called third-floor format presents auctions of works with estimated prices of up to €3,000, which have been held exclusively online since the beginning of the Corona pandemic.

Grisebach maintains offices in Munich, Düsseldorf, Zurich and New York.

Fasanenstraße 25 | 10719 Berlin | Tel 030 885 915 0

www.grisebach.com

Specialized auction houses

The following major auction houses, each focusing on its respective specialty, should also be mentioned:

Auction house	specialization	Location	Website
Koller | International Auctions	Asiatica	Zurich	www.kollerauktionen.ch
Quittenbaum Art Auctions	Design and Art Nouveau	Munich	www.quittenbaum.de
Auction House Dr. Jürgen Fischer	Glass	Heilbronn	www.auctions-fischer.de
Ladenburg toy auction	toy	Ladenburg	www.spielzeugauktion.de
Auction Team Breker	Technical antiques	Cologne	www.breker.com
Auction house Rippon Boswell & Co.	Carpets and textiles	Wiesbaden	www.rippon-boswell-wiesbaden.de
Zemanek-Münster	Tribal Art	Würzburg	www.tribal-art-auktion.de

More information about these auction houses and many other antique dealers, including further recommendations, can be found on A&W recommends 120 antique dealers .

If you are looking for a specific auction house that we haven't listed here, we highly recommend the directory at Kunstmarkt.com . There you will find numerous entries from Germany, Europe, North America, and even Asia, clearly sorted alphabetically.

If you are among the absolute connoisseurs, you can of course choose the exact opposite approach: you look for the object of your passion in an online auction portal that aggregates the offers of several houses, and make sure that this object is not being auctioned by a specialist.

If the pop art picture is then auctioned off among a lot of Biedermeier furniture, it is quite possible that you will get it at a really good price; the prerequisite for such a risky game, of course, is that you know your stuff very well.

The virtual auction house Auctionata / Historia

The trend in purchasing is clearly towards online shopping. This is nothing new. Whether in fashion, shoes, or other areas, the preferred method of ordering is now simply a click away. This also applies to the art world.

At Historia / Auctionata – Germany's largest online shop for art, antiques and collectibles – the virtual hammer swings every Friday at 6:00 pm and small treasures and rarities from the art and design sector change hands.

Whether it's a rare Louis Vuitton steamer trunk, antique oil paintings , or fine wines – Auctionata's marketplace offers something for everyone. This platform has only recently launched and is essentially an online counterpart to other renowned auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's .

The first auction took place on December 7, 2012. A total of 98 objects were auctioned, generating total proceeds of 345,000 euros.

Of course, you can not only buy but also sell online with Auctionata . The auctions consist of two services: appraisals and the auctioning of objects . You can send an appraisal request to Auctionata via email, and an expert from one of 250 renowned, globally active art experts will carefully examine the object in question, take professional photos of your items for the auction catalogs, and issue a certificate of authenticity. The first five appraisals at Auctionata are free and non-binding.

Auctionata offers the following advantages:

• Comprehensive service (everything from one source)
• Authenticity guaranteed (for 25 years)
• Reliable and fast
• Expert network
• Free collection service in case of cancellation
• Advance payment

Auctionata offers all the services of a traditional art and auction house – exclusively online. Thanks to sophisticated technology and advanced engineering, the platform delivers TV-quality viewing on laptops, tablets, and other mobile devices, bringing the auction room virtually live into customers' living rooms. Auctionata is thus the first company to authentically replicate traditional auctions online.

250 renowned specialists from the Auctionata expert network are available to everyone for free appraisals of art, antiques, collectibles and luxury vintage items; a 25-year guarantee of authenticity provides security.

Would you like to learn more? Then simply visit the website of Historia (formerly Auctionata) .

Catawiki – Curated marketplace for online auctions

Catawiki is Europe's most visited curated marketplace for special objects over 65,000 items each week across various categories such as collectibles, art, design, jewelry, Watches , and classic cars. The operators' mission is to provide customers with an exciting and seamless experience for buying and selling special, hard-to-find objects.

Catawiki now operates in 60 countries and its employees speak 17 languages. The company connects buyers and sellers worldwide while ensuring transparency through public reviews, a secure payment platform, and a dedicated international support team.

How does the curated marketplace work?

Every day, sellers submit thousands of items for sale. Over 240 in-house experts review and select only the best for auction. Each expert has years of experience and expertise in their field. They follow strict guidelines and virtually evaluate all items before they are accepted for auction.

Over 1 million items are rejected from the platform each year to maintain the highest quality standards. Experts also provide non-binding valuation advice for items.

Each item on Catawiki also has an accompanying description to help buyers make informed bids. It is the seller's responsibility to ensure the item matches the description. In addition to expert curation, the marketplace operators offer buyers and sellers a range of additional services to ensure a smooth transaction, for which they charge a corresponding fee.

For their services, which are provided to both buyers and sellers, a seller's fee of 12.5% ​​and a buyer's fee of 9% of the final bid value are due. Buyers are responsible for shipping costs and any applicable customs duties and taxes.

Tips for choosing the right auction house

It's not just the large and well-known auction houses that are of interest if you're considering buying art as an investment. While the major houses are generally regarded for their reliability, there are numerous smaller houses with equally good reputations that are simply not as well-known.

Before participating in any auction, you will usually inquire which auction house specializes in the specific art form you are looking for: This is where the sellers have the most expertise in assessing their exhibits, and where you will find the largest selection.

… further criteria for selecting an auction house

There are other criteria to consider: When it comes to larger objects, choosing an auction house near your place of residence , as transport costs and transport insurance can significantly increase the price.

Another important factor to consider when participating in an auction is the opportunity offered to view the artworks beforehand . Requesting an auction catalog from a previous auction by the auction house and reviewing the online presentation will allow you to assess whether you will receive sufficient information about a particular artwork that interests you. This can prevent you from making a hasty bid based solely on passion.

Of course, you should also inquire beforehand about the fees that go to the auction house; between 20 and 22 percent is typical, calculated and deducted from the winning bid. However, the fees not paid to the artist can sometimes reach considerably higher amounts.

Soon, we will be publishing some articles about important and well-known auction houses, which may contribute some ideas that can help you choose the right auction platform.

One thing you will definitely learn is this: It is much more fun to focus on personal taste when it comes to investments and then hang a wonderful picture on the wall or place a fascinating sculpture on the shelf that can be admired every day, than to go to the bank every now and then to look at the stocks in your portfolio.

As long as we are dealing with smaller investments where a little risk is acceptable in terms of value retention, you have another option: Buy young art , from artists who are still developing or simply unknown, e.g. on Kunstplaza .

Perhaps the most exciting way to learn more about art, the fees on Kunstplaza are minimal compared to an auction, you can follow the development of this artist and in most cases even enter into a direct dialogue with them!

For those who would like to further their education and stay up-to-date in the field of art auctions, the newspaper “Art and Auctions – Newspaper for the International Market” recommended (price: 5.40 euros per issue).