DOROTHEUM PRAGUE

Ovocny trh 580/2
CZ-110 00 Prague 1
Tel. +420-2-24 22 20 01
Fax +420-2-24 22 20 11

The Dorotheum's subsidiary in Prague was founded in 1992, at first consisting of only a single retail outlet located in the Old Town. In 1995 it eventually began to host regular art auctions, which enjoyed an ever-growing popularity among the Czechs and the foreign public alike.

The encouraging nature of recent developments resulted in the expansion of the Praha Dorotheum. In April 1998 the Dorotheum relocated to a restored building on Ovocny Trh, in the centre of Prague's historic quarter.

A gallery shop of modern design invites customers to select from a wide range of paintings, glass, porcelain, silver, jewellery, antiques, and decorative objects. This is also where the public viewings for upcoming auctions take place one week before the auction.

Apart from the ongoing activities of its general sales department, the Dorotheum also hosts four art auctions each year at Prague's Renaissance Hotel.

The Praha Dorotheum is the leading auction house in the Czech Republic. It employs 12 people and provides a wide range of services, including comprehensive information on, and evaluations of, the art market, analysis of an artist or work, conduct relating to legislation, communication with the Czech authorities, and export-import considerations.

About 40 per cent of the clients are made up of foreigners from various European countries and overseas.

The exceptional results achieved at the auctions held so far, together with the continually growing interest by collectors and art lovers, clearly indicate a highly successful business trend.  In fact, the Praha Dorotheum’s annual turnover has increased twice since 2004.

The highest sale to date occurred at the March 2006 auction, where Émile-Antoine Bourdelle's sculpture Heracles Archer was sold for CZK 4.7 million (about 168,000 euros). At the same auction an exceptional example of handicraft designed by Otto Prutscher and made around 1924 by the Wiener Möbeltischlerei August Knobloch’s Erben was sold, reaching an absolute record in Czech auction history in the furniture category.