The Facts
On August 27, 2026, Lempertz announced that the Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft im BDI has commissioned the auction house to sell its collection, which includes numerous works on permanent loan to German museums. Selected pieces will be offered during the forthcoming autumn season. Highlights include a self-portrait by Hans Purrmann formerly at the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Purrmann's 'Ticino Landscape' from the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum in Aachen, Werner Heldt's 'Pfingsttag' from the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, and Thomas Schütte's installation 'Joker Poker'. Works by Horst Antes and Peter Brüning, previously on loan to the Kunstmuseum Bonn, will also be auctioned. The Kulturkreis, which has supported emerging artists since 1951, is selling the collection to increase resources for its talent-development mission.
The Signal
The sale of this decades-old institutional collection, built from Modernist to contemporary works and held on long-term museum loans, offers collectors a rare chance to acquire museum-quality pieces directly from a single source. The decision to liquidate a core asset to fund future grants signals a strategic pivot for the Kulturkreis, potentially setting a precedent for other German cultural foundations. For the market, the appearance of works by Purrmann, Heldt, and Schütte—artists with strong institutional provenance—may test demand for German Modern and contemporary art outside the auction mainstream.
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- Artists: Hans Purrmann, Werner Heldt, Thomas Schütte, Horst Antes, Peter Brüning
- People: Jan Bykowski
- Auction Houses: Lempertz
- Museums: Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin, Kunstmuseum Bonn
- Locations: Cologne, Darmstadt, Aachen, Berlin, Bonn
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