CERCLE DIPLOMATIQUE - issue 03/2023

Alte Meister: Das hochspezialisierte
Dorotheum-Team bei der Arbeit.
Old Masters: The highly specialised
Dorotheum team at work.
Viel Trubel bei den Schaustellungen. Herbstauktion:
Günter Brus, 1962.
Lots of hustle and bustle at the shows. Autumn
auction: Günter Brus, 1962.
Commitment to contemporary art
The Dorotheum, as a hub of fine art and
a significant institution where various threads
of the Viennese, Austrian and international
art scenes converge, also sees itself
as responsible for Vienna’s art scene, as
Martin Böhm explains: “Vienna is still perschließend
betont: „Die Vienna Art Week
legt eine Woche lang den Fokus auf die aktuelle,
sehr lebendige Kunstproduktion, die
unserer Meinung nach ein wesentlicher
Faktor des Kulturstandortes Wien ist.“
The Dorotheum is its own universe,
brimming with artistic treasures,
paintings, furniture, jewellery and
precious items spanning many epochs.
With its home at the Palais Dorotheum,
built in 1910 and located in the heart of Vienna,
it serves as a reflection of the contemporary
art scene as well as a quintessential
Viennese institution complete with
a Viennese coffeehouse. Established by
Emperor Joseph I in 1707 as the “Versatzund
Fragamt zu Wien” (Pawn and Inquiries
Office of Vienna), the Dorotheum has
evolved into the largest auction house for
art and applied arts in Central Europe. Its
transformation from an imperial institution
to a modern auction house and jeweller
mirrors the history of Austria over the past
300 years – from its move into the Dorotheerkloster
monastery in 1787 following
the Josephinian Reforms to the construction
of the Palais Dorotheum during the
Ringstrasse era and to its privatisation at
the turn of the millennium.
Epochal mirrors
Upon passing through one of the grand
entrance gates of the colossal palace situated
between the Dorotheergasse and Spiegelgasse
streets, you step into a world of its
own. Behind the many prominent counters,
which still carry a hint of the
Dorotheum’s long history as a government
office, the experts of the house are active,
ready to assess and evaluate the treasures
that are to find new homes through the
Dorotheum. Centuries of cultural history
converge in the expansive, multi-story exhibition
and sales spaces of the Dorotheum
Gallery, encompassing a wide spectrum of
art, antiques, porcelain and furniture. “The
Dorotheum is, of course, also a reflection
of Vienna across various epochs. These art
objects have almost all been used in Viennese
or Austrian society at some point,”
notes Karin Saey, head of trade at the Dorotheum.
Every art piece here tells its own
story: The portrait of a noblewoman from
the Italian Renaissance in the Old Master
Paintings Gallery, whose name has been
lost over the centuries, as well as the numerous
artefacts in the Art Nouveau Hall,
which might have once adorned one of the
city’s many city-centre palaces. The 20th
century then unfolds in the Glass Courtyard
on the ground floor, with its beautiful
glass ceiling reminiscent of historical
shopping arcades. “Our Glass Courtyard is
dedicated to modernity,” Karin Saey explains.
“It showcases design and furniture
from this era, glass and porcelain. You’ll
find exquisite collector’s items, like beautiful
Gallé vases, as well as Mid-century rarities
– the Glass Courtyard offers a lot of
variety.”
At the same time, the Dorotheum is also
Austria’s largest jeweller, as Saey emphasises.
Alongside the many vintage jewellery
pieces that find new homes through Dorotheum
Juwelier or the house’s auctions,
Dorotheum Juwelier also presents its exclusively
crafted collections on the palace’s
second floor. Current jewellery lines like
“Mon Palais” or “Viennese Modern Forever”
translate the house’s history and
Vienna’s significance as a cultural metropolis
into high-quality jewellery.
International network
Undoubtedly, the heart of the palace is
the grand halls on the 1st floor of the
house, accessed through the opulent neobaroque
staircase adorned with artistic interventions
by Brigitte Kowanz, Peter Kogler
and more. Here, the highlights of the
major auction weeks are displayed for viewing.
“During the respective auction
weeks in spring and autumn, the Contemporary
Week and the Classic Week, international
top offerings come together,” emphasises
Martin Böhm, managing partner
of the Dorotheum. Among the auction
lots, you may find a major work by Maria
Lassnig, a large-scale piece by Adolf Luther,
a significant representative of the
German post-war avant-garde, or a Madonna
portrait by Giovanni Bellini. As the
major auction weeks approach, the Palais
PHOTOS: DOROTHEUM / G. WASSERBAUER (2), R. RUMPLER
Dorotheum transforms from a sometimes
contemplative space into a bustling museum.
Bids and auction items come from
over 90 countries worldwide. Even prominent
museums participate as bidders in the
Dorotheum’s auctions: In addition to the
Leopold Museum or the KHM, the list of
participating institutions includes the National
Gallery Prague, the Czech National
Gallery, or more recently, the The Lucas
Museum of Narrative Art, which was founded
by George Lucas and his wife Mellody
Hobson and is set to open in a futuristic
Los Angeles museum building in 2025 and
which acquired a detailed depiction of a
royal hunting party from the 15th century
from the Dorotheum. A network of representations
in Europe’s major art centres,
from Milan, Rome, Munich and Düsseldorf
to London, Brussels, Prague, Paris, Tel
Aviv and, most recently, Hamburg, further
highlights the high quality of the autumn
and spring auction weeks. Yet, the Dorotheum
also impresses with its numerous
700+ annual auctions. “With over 40 categories
– from Old Master paintings to contemporary
works, from antique silver and
Art Nouveau to design – we are a one-of-akind
and highly specialised international
house operating from Vienna, the largest
in the German-speaking region,” Böhm
continues. The inclusion of unique items,
such as the estate of soprano Edita Gruberová
or, for instance, space photographs
being auctioned this September, adds to
the distinct charm of the house.
07.12.2023, 18:00 UND 20:30 UHR
STEPHANSDOM
ceived internationally as a city of music,
theatre and historical art. However, the extremely
vibrant art scene and the excellent
quality of international contemporary exhibitions
sometimes take a back seat.” To
bridge this gap, the Dorotheum initiated
the Vienna Art Week in 2005. It serves as a
collaborative platform for Vienna’s art institutions,
art universities, galleries and artists,
shining a spotlight on the city’s bustling
art scene every November. This event
has become an indispensable centrepiece
of Vienna’s art autumn. Therefore, in addition
to its roles as an auction house, jeweller
and gallery, the Dorotheum has also
positioned itself as a significant player in
Vienna’s contemporary art landscape, as
Martin Böhm concludes. “For one week,
the Vienna Art Week focuses on the city’s
very vibrant contemporary art scene,
which, in our opinion, is a crucial factor
for Vienna’s cultural landscape.”
AdvEntKONzErT MiT:
MARIE JACQUOT Dirigentin
FATMA SAID Sopran
JONATHAN TETELMAN Tenor
WIENER SINGVEREIN
WIENER SYMPHONIKER
fOtO © Jacek Dylag
110 Cercle Diplomatique 3/2023
Tickets unter
www.kunstkultur.com
Cercle Diplomatique 3/2023
111