Record Result during the first Half of 2007 - Tercentenary celebrates world record sales
Celebration at Franz Joseph Hall
Guido Cagnacci
Chandelier Vortexx
Victor Vasarely
Olga Wisinger Florian
Auction at the Franz Joseph Hall
Record breaking auctions bringing world record prices became an almost regular occurrence during the first half of the tercentenary year of Vienna's Dorotheum auction house. As a result, 2007 not only marks the 300th anniversary of the foundation of Continental Europe's largest and the world oldest auction house but will also go down in history as its most successful half-year of all times.
In April 2007, the tercentenary of its Imperial foundation was formally celebrated in a ceremony attended by the Federal President of Austria and the Mayor of Vienna. The event also heralded a whole range of new initiatives.
The year's high-profile major tercentenary auctions were held – in accordance with a tradition established shortly after 1900 – in the splendid setting of the Franz Joseph Hall, specifically adapted to this purpose and the centrepiece of Vienna's Dorotheum Palais.
No film script could have planned for a more dramatic opening: The very first lot coming up at the major old masters auction on 24th April 2007 caused an immediate sensation when Guido Cagnacci's „Lucrezia“ sold for € 1,4 million. This winning bid not only represents a world record for the work of this master but also the highest auction sale in Austria this year. Several hours later, there was also occasion to celebrate a new record one-day turn-over.
Overnight, the auction house then transformed itself into a fitting stage for modern design, presenting international visitors of the „viennaartweek 07“ with a preview of the design auction on 9th May. This event also became the most successful of its kind in the Dorotheum's history. Scintillating and internationally sought-after top lot was Chandelier Vortexx by Zaha Hadid and Patrick Schumacher. Having already won the „Lights of the Future“ European design award of 2006, this magical piece now won a second prize in the form of a final bid of 139.000 Euro – once again the highest price ever achieved at the Dorotheum for an object in the design category.
The unbroken series of superlatives continued during the second part of the tercentenary auctions held in May 2007: The auctions of modern and contemporary art surpassed all previous results in that category seen at the Dorotheum; significant works by famous artists such as Picasso, Liebermann, Nolde and Kokoschka changed hands at top prices. Friedensreich Hundertwasser's „Peinture Ancien Rainer II“ of 1958 climbed to 180.000 Euro. A Victor Vasarely sold for 144.000 Euro. Bidding for the gold brooch „Concetto spaziale“ by Lucio Fontana reached a record 81.600 Euro, and „Gangsta Rat“ by Banksy quickly scuttled to 76.800 Euro.
With a growing demand on the part of Russian clients, the silver auctions brought in some of their best results to date; several treasures of Moscow or St Petersburg provenance are now homeward bound – having been auctioned off at several times their valuation.
Not just one but two new world price-records were set at the auction of 19th century painting: One of the top highlights of the auction selection, the Summer evening by the Bay of Naples by Oswald Achenbach, sold for the excellent sum of 204.000 Euro, the highest price ever realised by this artist anywhere. Another, home-grown, winner by Olga Wisinger-Florian, the fabulous and large-format Garden of blossoming trees topped the former world record with 300.000 Euro, while Eugen von Blaas’ Idle Conversation won 684.000 Euro.
Meanwhile, the Dorotheum continues to increase its international presence, a policy in place since the auction house became privately owned in 2001. Aside from existing branch-offices and representations in Brussels, Tokyo, Munich, Düsseldorf, and Prague, Rome has now been added to the Italian network already including Milan and Florence. Taking a look into the future „Through the artist’s eye“, the international auction house presents a series of works by contemporary artists commissioned on the occasion of the tercentenary. Spatial- and floor installations, and some photographic works by artists Peter Kogler, Erwin Wurm, Lynne Cohen and Heike Weber underline the Dorotheum's commitment to modern art. These works are currently on display at the Palais in Dorotheergasse No. 17. In addition, the first major auction week in April of this year was accompanied by the large number of symposia, panel discussions, and events of the third „Vienna Art Week 07“, an initiative of the „Art Cluster“ association, attended by all major cultural institutions and museums. During a single, very exiting week Vienna became a meeting place for the greats of the international art world and a platform for the exchange of art and culture.
The „Vienna Art Book Award“, at 25.000 Euro the best endowed award of its kind, went to Hatje Cantz Publishing for their „Biedermeier. Die Erfindung der Einfachheit“, by Hans Ottomeyer, Klaus Albrecht Schröder, and Laurie Winters. The next Art Week is due to be held in April 2008.
What will the second half of 2007 bring for the Dorotheum? The autumn will see the third part of this year's tercentenary auctions in the categories old masters, old master drawings, sculpture, glass and porcelain, jewellery and furniture, from 16th Oct. to 18th Oct. 2007; to be followed by Part 4, with 19th century painting, modern and contemporary art, art nouveau, and silver, jewellery, watches and furniture, between 26th Nov. and 29th Nov. 2007. Once the summer is over, it will also be the turn of our international representations in Milan, Brussels, Düsseldorf, and Munich to wish the auction house a „Happy 300th Anniversary, Dorotheum!“.
Press office: Mag.Constanze Werner, Tel +43 1/515 60-406, constanze.werner@dorotheum.at
 | Celebration at Franz Joseph Hall |
| Guido Cagnacci |
| Chandelier Vortexx |
| Victor Vasarely |
| Olga Wisinger Florian |
| Auction at the Franz Joseph Hall |
 | Press Information |
