The summer auction series got off to a highly successful start with the Art Nouveau and Art Deco category.

A good two-thirds of the lots offered found new owners. While online bidding has already become established among connoisseurs of early 20th-century art, quite a few customers in this auction preferred to have us call them or to visit us in the auction hall. Well-informed thanks to our lovingly designed highlight brochures and the printed catalogs provided, the in-person bidders participated very successfully in our auction of 480 lots, which featured many high-caliber collector’s items

The works of Hungarian ceramic artist Vilmos Zsolnay continue to be highly prized. Over the phone, on various platforms, and in the auction room itself, numerous bidders vied for the six pieces on offer. The pumpkin-shaped vase with a handle and engraved lobster decoration thus sold for €24,000 and is now returning to its homeland (Cat. No. 364). The leaf-handled jug by Lajos Mack also fetched an impressive hammer price of €19,000 (Cat. No. 365). It was clear to see how the tension fell away from the buyer present once the lot was sold.

“Radically Beautiful” Auction Results

This June, the auction house had the privilege of auctioning a significant private collection from Germany. With the ‘Radical Beauties’ auction, it once again succeeded in drawing the international attention of the collectors’ market to exceptional design. The focus was on rare and museum-quality designs, some of which sold for well above their estimates.

The top lot of the auction was the ‘Pratone’ seating object by Gufram (Cat. No. 625), which sold for €10,000. This represents a fourfold increase over the starting price of €2,500. In addition, the iconic ‘How High the Moon’ armchair (Cat. No. 705) by Shiro Kuramata attracted considerable interest and found a new owner for €7,500.

Italian design from the 1960s through the 1980s was in particularly high demand. In addition to two rare examples of the ‘Cactus’ coat rack (Cat. Nos. 627 and 627), which sold for €4,600 and €6,000 respectively, numerous iconic designs from this era were very well received.

Design Auction continues its streak of outstanding results

Right from the start of the auction, the designs by Eileen Gray and Charlotte Perriand attracted considerable interest. The ‘Transat’ armchair, designed by Gray around 1927 for Villa ‘E1027’ on the French Mediterranean coast, changed hands for a hammer price of €2,900.

In the Italian design category, the collection from a German art collector achieved exceptional results. The limited-edition glass objects resulting from the collaboration between Ettore Sottsass and Vistosi (cat. nos. 903–908) all found new owners, as did the group of rare shelving units. Special attention was given to the [‘Lemon Sherbet’](https://www.quittenbaum.de/en/auctions/design/182C/search/ettore-sottsassbrugola-renzo-fuer-galerie-blum-helman-new-york-zugeschrieben-regal-lemon-sherbet-1987-design-144471/), designed by Sottsass in 1987. The shelf, likely crafted by Renzo Brugola for the Blum Helman Gallery in New York, features a mirrored structure and yellow-glazed wood and is now changing hands for €27,000. Equally of interest was the shelf [‘Coming back from Malibu’](https://www.quittenbaum.de/en/auctions/design/182C/search/ettore-sottsassrenzo-brugola-fuer-galerie-blum-helman-new-york-zugeschrieben-shelf-coming-back-from-malibu-1987-design-144472/), also for the Blum Helman Gallery, which sold for €14,000, as well as the two [‘Max’](https://www.quittenbaum.de/en/auctions/design/182C/search/ettore-sottsassmemphis-mailand-milan-max-shelf-1987-design-144470/) (hammer price €15,000) and [‘Alessandria d’Egitto’](https://www.quittenbaum.de/en/auctions/design/182C/search/ettore-sottsassalchimia-mailand-milan-shelf-alessandria-degitto-from-the-bau-haus-ii-collection-c-1979-design-144461/) from Alchimia’s ‘bau.haus II’ collection (hammer price: 14,000 €).

Art jewelry and gems bring the summer auctions to a close

The ‘Art Jewelry & Jewels’ auction on June 18, 2026, was characterized by a highly selective and determined group of bidders. International collectors and connoisseurs focused specifically on museum-quality one-of-a-kind pieces, rare works by artists, and iconic 20th-century designs.

Several highlights performed particularly well, with significant increases above the starting bid. The expressive mask brooch by Johann Michael Wilm from the 1930s rose from €4,400 to €7,000. Equally impressive was the “Flamenco” brooch or pendant by Sonia Delaunay-Terk, which rose from €4,000 to €6,500.