Otto Gebler, March 1988
I have not spoken about Christies South Kensington yet because all the paintings I bought there were not that profitable to mention. However, the following story is unique and I must mention it in passing. Several lessons can be learned and they must be adhered to.
Christies have salerooms all over the world. Their secondary sale-room in London are selling art of value in the hundreds of thousands. I frequented the auction as early as 1984 and I made many purchases with good results there, albeit nothing spectacular up to this point.
An Unsold Painting Is Not Cooked
The Otto Gebler work was offered for sale at Christies King Street main sale room a few months earlier. It remained unsold with an estimate of 6-8000 pounds. It was brought over to South Kensington where it remained unsold again with an estimate of 2-3000 pounds. That was very strange because Gebler was a German artist with very good sale results in Germany and elsewhere.
Third time for sale was lucky, but, not for the sellers but the buyer, myself. It cost me one thousand pounds but I was very happy about that. This was a good oil painting on panel, which on a good day in Germany could have sold for five thousand pounds some years ago. It was small and not that impressive, but it had what it was required; a popular subject and in very good condition.
No sooner I bought it, I had it shipped to Nagel Auction in Cologne for sale. The agreement was 3,000 – 5000 estimate with a reserve of 3,000 and to be sold in April 1988. Just one month after I had bought it.
Sending it via the post office for a few pounds was easy as the painting was in total 30 x20 cm, including the frame.
I was on the ball, I was so efficient with buying and selling quickly that looking back I can admit, that cannot be done today. The internet has killed such type of business.
No catalogue! No Word From The Auction!
Nearly all auctions have their catalogues ready two to four weeks before the relevant sale. The subscribers get a copy of the catalogue about two weeks earlier than the sale together with their statement about their property. I was expecting a catalogue from Nagel in early April but it failed to arrive. I waited and waited until the third week of April and there was no sign of it.
I was sure the sale was in early April!
I suspected they forgot to send me one and so I called the auction to ask for one and find out what was going on. I explained who I was and what my business was. They were not aware of my custom and my painting.
I started to worry a little by which time I was passed on to one of the senior directors-owners.
