Around 164 art lots spanning more than 500 years of printmaking will go under the hammer in London on Wednesday, March 28. The rare artworks will be offered as part of Christie's upcoming Old Master, Modern & Contemporary Prints auction.
Estimates in the sale will range from £1,000 to £200,000 ($316,686), offering plenty of buying opportunities for new and experienced collectors alike. Christie's expects its auction to net £2m in total.
A very rare woodcut by German Expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kircher (1880-1938) is expected to lead the auction. Englische Steptänzerinnen dates to 1911 and it is one of only five known works of its kind. It will carry a £200,000-300,000 presale estimate.
 Englische Steptänzerinnen dates to 1911 |
Kirchner was one of the founding members of the artists' group Die Brücke, formed in Dresden in 1905, which later counted Max Pechstein and Otto Mueller among its members. The group had a major impact on modern art and expressionism in the 20th century.
Printmaking was among the group's favoured practices. Kirchner, in particular, thought that prints were the most expressive and most revealing of all media.
Englische Steptänzerinnen remains one of Kirchner's most important major colour prints. This seminal work from one of the 20th century's greatest printmakers will undoubtedly emerge as a star at Christie's March 28 auction.
