Exceptional Modern and Contemporary Works with Wilhelm Lehmbrucks “Frauenbüste (Büste L.)” as a Highlight

At its auctions on 5th and 6th June 2026, Kunsthaus Lempertz will present a selection of significant works of modern and contemporary art. Of the utmost rarity is an exceptional marble sculpture by Wilhelm Lehmbruck, likely the last one still in private hands.

Dating from around 1910, the “Bust of a Woman (Bust L.)” is one of the rare works that Lehmbruck carved in marble himself to be coming onto the market. This lifelike depiction, modelled on his wife Anita, marks a decisive moment in the artist’s career: His artistic rebirth in Paris. Through his encounters with Aristide Maillol and Auguste Rodin, Lehmbruck developed here a formal language characterised by reduction, introversion and a subtly animated posture. The slightly tilted head and the inward gaze lend the sculpture a quiet, haunting presence, which is further enhanced by the shimmering surface of the white marble.

Added to this is the work’s outstanding provenance. The bust was acquired in 1912 at the legendary Sonderbund Exhibition in Cologne, purchased directly from the artist by the industrialist and art patron Hermann Hertz. It has remained in the family’s possession for over 114 years and is now being offered to the public for the first time. Dietrich Schubert, author of the catalogue raisonné, confirmed the authenticity of the work and included it in his catalogue (WVZ 50C). This work marks a high point in 20th-century German sculpture and is now coming to auction with an estimated price of between €500,000 and €700,000.

The Worcester Museum of Art in the USA has entrusted Lempertz with four works by Karl Hofer, Bernard Buffett, Maurice Utrillo and Pierre-Auguste Renoir for auction. In his portrait of a child, “Coco mangeant sa soupe” (1905), Renoir depicts, in warm, harmonious colours, a father’s tender gaze upon his youngest child; the estimated price is between €500,000 and €600,000. The proceeds from these works from the museum’s collection will go towards a planned acquisition.

Erich Heckel’s "Einfuhr in die Scheune" (Return to the Barn, 1909) is a work from the Dangast period, a significant phase in the life of this Brücke artist. Using a reduced colour palette, he addresses – something he rarely did – everyday rural life. In Cologne, the painting will be offered with an estimate of €300,000 to €400,000.

Oskar Schlemmer’s "Raum mit sieben Figuren" (Room with Seven Figures, 1937) is a striking example of the artist’s late period, in which geometric rigour and personal expression are combined; estimated price: €150,000 to €180,000. 

The work ‘Borcke’ (1986) by the recently deceased artist Georg Baselitz is an example of his radical reinterpretation of figurative art. It is estimated to fetch between €400,000 and €450,000.

The international selection is complemented by Yoshitomo Nara’s iconic "Bunny in Blue" (1997). One of the world’s most sought-after artists succeeds here in combining childlike imagery with psychological depth; the composition creates a subtle tension between innocence and existential isolation. This compact, intense work is estimated at between €350,000 and €450,000. 

Works by Zdeněk Sýkora (“Line No. 145”, estimated at €200,000 to €300,000) and Josef Albers (“Study to Homage to the Square: Small and Large Dark against Light Brown”, estimated at €250,000 to €350,000), which Lempertz has, almost as a matter of tradition, auctioned with great success, extend the spectrum into the realm of concrete art.

In “Doc Daffy” and “Dandy Doc (The Apprentice #5)”, Cosima von Bonin adopts the visual language of comics. The anti-hero Daffy plays a central role here, and Bonin frequently draws on this character. “Doc Daffy” was selected to be printed by the Kölnischer Kunstverein and presented to its members as an annual gift. The original artwork will be auctioned at the Evening Sale with an estimated value of €20,000 to €30,000.

Jan Bykowski
Press and PR
bykowski@lempertz.com
Tel. 0049 (0)221 925729 -57