Kunsthaus Lempertz

Profile

Kunsthaus Lempertz, founded in 1845 in Cologne, is one of the leading art auction houses in Europe and the oldest family-owned one in the world. The history of the house began in 1845 with book auctions held by Mathias Lempertz in the Bonn office (based on the saleroom of J.M. Heberle founded in 1802) which was founded by him. Peter Hanstein buys the respected firm in 1875 and gradually moves the auction business to Cologne. In 1918 the building at Neumarkt is purchased. The classicist building is destroyed by bombs in 1943, like most of Cologne's inner city. After the monetary reform Lempertz succeeds once more in establishing itself as the leading German art and auction house. A visible sign of this is the building at Neumarkt, completed in 1952, listed today in the Register of Historic Buildings. The Roman-Germanic Museum and the  Wallraf-Richartz-Museum organize their first exhibitions here between 1953-1957.
In 1965 the Gallery Lempertz Contempora is founded, an exhibition forum for contemporary art. In 1984 Lempertz complements its range by buying into the antique book store Venator. The name is changed to Venator & Hanstein
Since the beginning of 2000, Kunsthaus Lempertz is the only German auction house to be part of the renowned International Auctioneers group (IA), a group that unites eight independent leading auction houses from eight countries. In 1965 the first representative office abroad is opened in New York. In the meantime, there are representatives in Tokyo, Shanghai, Zurich, and in São Paulo. In 1985 a branch in Brussels was reopened that organizes the preparation and execution of auctions as well as the previews of auctions taking place in Cologne. In Germany, Lempertz has branches in Berlin  and Munich. The Berlin branch regularly holds the design and art auctions in May, has regular previews and independent exhibitions on their own premises.
Our representatives and experts at the Cologne headquarters are available for consultation and are happy to assist you regarding consignments without obligation.  Competent experts with profound knowledge of the art market produce richly illustrated catalogues of museum quality. Our long-standing experience and knowledge of the art market benefits our consignors and customers. Our competence, expertise, and experience acquired in over 150 years of contact with works of art and international markets have led to a multitude of national and international record-breaking prices. Numerous paintings, sculptures, and decorative art objects have been acquired by museums and private collectors throughout the world, and belong to the core of these collections ever since.

Exhibitions