Applying the required social distancing would, however, have meant that only 10 visitors could have taken part, given the available space in the auction room. Thus, the May 9 sale was held online via lot-tissimo.com and thesaleroom.com
The most spectacular price was achieved for a charcoal drawing heightened in white by the German artist Käthe Kollwitz, who was renowned for her portrayal of the effects of war and poverty on the working class.
In c.1912, she executed a series of drawings of a seated woman leaning forward, sometimes naked, sometimes wearing a white blouse.
The 12 x 15in (30 x 37cm) drawing offered in Düsseldorf came from a German collection and was estimated at €20,000. Plenty of interest emerged pre-sale. Among the written bids was one from a museum, was soon trumped by the international dealers and collectors who joined in by phone and online. It sold to a German collector for €52,000 (£45,615).
