Otto DIX (1891-1969)

Friday Top! Every alternate Friday Artprice publishes a theme-based auction ranking. This week: the ten highest auction sales in Germany in 2011 compared to the top ten for 2012.

Every fortnight, Artprice provides a short round up of art market news.

The price index for German expressionist masters has been particularly dynamic over the past 2 years.Underpinning this price progression: a rarefaction of the offer; some exceptional works coming to market and plenty of recent exhibitions.For example, Emil Nolde is currently being honoured with a retrospective at the Grand Palais in Paris – until 19 January 2009.

After the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Tate Modern in London, it is MoMA’s turn to welcome the Beckmann retrospective from 26 June 2003. Beckmann is renowned in the auction world as the holder of the world record price for a German painting.

Works by the Die Brücke and Der Blau Reiter groups have been spiralling in price since 1999 (up 25% over the year). After four years of steady increase, from a base of 100 in 1997 the price index for Expressionist works is now 28 points higher than the Artprice Global Index.. In these hard-to-better market conditions, Christie’s is now organising its tenth auction of German and Austrian Art.