Contemporary art and classic modern art are in high demand at Dorotheum and growing ever more popular. We are pleased to introduce the dedicated art experts behind our successful auctions.
COMTESSE HONORINE D’URSEL
– BRANCH MANAGER OF DOROTHEUM BRUSSELS
She has a very special place in her heart for Vienna and is happy to work for a Viennese enterprise in Belgium – and what is more, for a company with a history of more than 300 years. As representative she meets fascinating people and has constant opportunities to discover beautiful objects.
ALESSANDRO RIZZI
– EXPERT FOR MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART
Alessandro Rizzi studied history of art in Parma and worked in galleries and auction houses, also as art consultant. Today he is in charge of the Dorotheum’s great range of Italian art. He especially remembers an auction in November 2013, when a yellow Fontana picture went under the hammer for a fantastic price. He also had to fight vehemently for black Castellani, which he succeeded winning for the Dorotheum. More than 20 telephone bidders heated up the suspense of an auction that ended up with a superlative result.
MARIA CRISTINA CORSINI
– EXPERT FOR MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART
After her studies in scenography and some experiences in various Roman galleries, she worked for the publishing house Bolaffi, collaborating on all of its publications for the art market. From 1980 she started her career in auctioneering, specializing in modern and contemporary art. She can boast of long years of experience in the art industry and is in charge of the Italian market from her headquarters in Rome. Among the Italian artists her favourite is Giacomo Balla, whose work she loves and has studied thoroughly.
PETRA SCHÄPERS
– BRANCH MANAGER OF DOROTHEUM DÜSSELDORF
EXPERT FOR MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART
Managing the Dorotheum’s Düsseldorf branch, Petra Schäpers is an expert in modern and contemporary art who is renowned and well-connected in the Rhineland, the Ruhr region, and internationally. She took a PhD in art history and embarked on a career with an international gallerist and an auction house, gradually moving her focus from the Old Masters to the “Moderns”. She founded a branch office for the Dorotheum in Düsseldorf, achieving top auction prices for works by Max Ernst, Günther Uecker, Georg Baselitz, Ilya Kabakov and others, and making a significant contribution to expanding the Dorotheum’s international presence.
EVA KÖNIGSEDER
– EXPERT FOR PHOTOGRAPHY
After studying at the University of Applied Arts she began her career as assistant in the sector of modern and contemporary art. In 1996 Eva Königseder suggested holding separate auctions of photography, which are meanwhile a fixed date in the Dorotheum’s annual auction calendar!
ELKE KÖNIGSEDER
– EXPERT FOR AUSTRIAN AND EAST EUROPEAN CLASSIC MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART
She came, she stayed, was loyal to her workplace – and has since developed the branch and marked up numerous auction successes: after her studies at the Academy of Applied Arts, in the early 1970s Elke Königseder joined the Dorotheum’s art department. The expert for classical modernism and contemporary art remembers in particular the auction of Gustav Klimt’s painting “Approaching Thunderstorm” (The Large poplar II), which is now in the Leopold Collection.
PATRICIA PÁLFFY
– EXPERT FOR INTERNATIONAL MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART
Born in the USA, she was brought up in France and Belgium and was conversant with international art from the very beginning: after studying art history, Patricia Pálffy directed galleries in Brussels and Munich before developing the Dorotheum’s branch of International Modern and Contemporary Art into one of the leading departments in the house. She successfully handled sales of works by Kapoor, Kusama, and Manzoni.
INA RÜCKEMANN
– INTERNATIONAL CLIENT SERVICE LONDON
For over five years she has lived in London: Ina Rückemann did her MA in Art Business at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, gathered experience in auction houses and is now thrilled to work for the Dorotheum supporting customers for modern and contemporary art in the international art centre of London. And they certainly appreciate this. “You make me feel confident that I can buy more things from Dorotheum and feel happy knowing that there is someone in London who can help me.”
FRANZ FREIHERR VON RASSLER
– BRANCH MANAGER OF DOROTHEUM MUNICH
The experienced art consultant and former international sales representative of a top New York gallery has managed the Munich headquaters of the Dorotheum for ten years now. Modern and contemporary art are his special field; his favourite auction works include a view of Wasserburg by Jawlensky and works by Yves Klein and Baselitz.
CONSTANZE WERNER
– HEAD OF THE INTERNATIONAL CLIENT SERVICE
She heads the International Client Service, coordinates the London branch and co-supports international collectors of modern and contemporary art. Upon completing her studies in Vienna she went on to work in Italy, France and Germany until, at last, she found her passion for the modernists while working for a leading Viennese gallery. Her favourite sentence? She hears it time and time again from clients who for years have purchased from abroad and then visit her for the first time in the Dorotheum: “I had no idea how incredibly beautiful it is here!”
RAFAEL SCHWARZ
– INTERNATIONAL CLIENT SERVICE, TEL AVIV REPRESENTATIVE, CLIENT SERVICE FOR SWITZERLAND
“What I love about the Dorotheum is that Vienna is really international here!” The communications specialist with a great deal of experience abroad supports purchasers and collectors of international modern and contemporary art worldwide and is also an auctioneer. The most fascinating object of his career for him as an auctioneer was a work by Anish Kapoor. It was sold at the Dorotheum for a higher price than a very similar work auctioned round about the same time in London!
ELISABETH HIRSCHMANN-HUEMER
– EXPERT FOR MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY PRINTS
After graduating in studies in art history and economics, she moved to California for a year. As an auctioneer Elisabeth Hirschmann-Huemer finds bidding skirmishes exciting, as an expert she loves designing catalogues – and top results such as a silkscreen colour print by Gerhard Richter, auctioned for almost double the expected price.
Stephanie Kumhofer, Patricia Pálffy, Elisabeth Hirschmann-Huemer, Constanze Werner, Rafael Schwarz, Maria Cristina Corsini, Alessandro Rizzi, Kristina Meret Juen (Expertenassistenz), Petra Schäpers, Ina Rückemann, Franz Freiherr von Rassler, Elke Königseder, Eva Königseder, Comtesse Honorine d’Ursel.
(myART MAGAZINE Nr. 03/2014)