Lempertz June Modern and Contemporary Auctions Feature Rare Lehmbruck Marble and Renoir from Worcester Museum
On May 21, 2026, Kunsthaus Lempertz announced its Evening Sale of Modern and Contemporary Art on June 5 and 6, 2026, in Cologne. The sale includes Wilhelm Lehmbruck’s “Bust of a Woman (Bust L.)” from around 1910, estimated at €500,000 to €700,000, the last such marble sculpture by the artist believed to remain in private hands and previously owned by industrialist Hermann Hertz since its 1912 acquisition at the Sonderbund Exhibition. Four works consigned by the Worcester Museum of Art include Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s “Coco mangeant sa soupe” (1905), estimated at €500,000 to €600,000, with proceeds supporting future acquisitions. Additional highlights are Erich Heckel’s “Einfuhr in die Scheune” (1909) at €300,000 to €400,000, Oskar Schlemmer’s “Raum mit sieben Figuren” (1937) at €150,000 to €180,000, Georg Baselitz’s “Borcke” (1986) at €400,000 to €450,000, and Yoshitomo Nara’s “Bunny in Blue” (1997) at €350,000 to €450,000.
The Signal
The Lehmbruck sculpture’s direct provenance and authentication by catalogue raisonné author Dietrich Schubert signal strong institutional and collector interest in early 20th-century German sculpture at a moment when private holdings of this quality are diminishing. Consignments from the Worcester Museum of Art illustrate how museums use Lempertz sales to fund acquisitions, while the presence of works by Heckel, Schlemmer, Baselitz and Nara shows the house’s continued reach across Brücke, Bauhaus and postwar figurative art. Estimates for the concrete art pieces by Zdeněk Sýkora and Josef Albers further indicate sustained demand in that segment.
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- Artists: Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Erich Heckel, Oskar Schlemmer, Georg Baselitz, Yoshitomo Nara, Karl Hofer, Bernard Buffet, Maurice Utrillo, Zdeněk Sýkora, Josef Albers, Cosima von Bonin
- People: Hermann Hertz, Dietrich Schubert
- Auction Houses: Lempertz
- Museums: Worcester Museum of Art
- Locations: Cologne
- Prices: €500,000-€700,000, €500,000-€600,000, €300,000-€400,000, €150,000-€180,000, €400,000-€450,000, €350,000-€450,000
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