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Rudolf Neumeister conducted his first sale as an auctioneer in 1958. At the time, the young auctioneer resided with his wife in the rooms of the auction house Weinmüller in the Almeda-Palais on Brienner Straße. Twenty years later, the firm moved to Barer Straße 37 where it now stands today as Neumeister Art Auction House in the vicinity of the three branches of the Pinakothek. In no other part of the city does the art scene pulsate as much as in this quarter of Munich bounded by Schwabing and Max-Vorstadt. The Alte and Neue Pinakothek, the Pinakothek der Moderne, the Museum Brandhorst, the Lenbachhaus, countless galleries and the new Academy of Film give this area of Munich its special vitality and creative flair.
In the 1980s, Neumeister extended the auction house at the rear of the existing property. Measuring 1,200 square meters, the new building includes office spaces, an underground garage and exhibition rooms. The site was formerly the location of a house owned by the famous playwright Oskar Maria Graf, and today a plaque dedicated to his memory hangs here. The administration offices are situated in the classical building on Barer Straße 37. The new modern building houses the management, customer reception, valuation offices, auction rooms, viewing rooms as well as a reference library and the offices of the art specialists.
All areas of art and handicraft – from medieval sculptures and classical painting to faience, furniture, carpets and contemporary design – are appraised and valued by experts in the appropriate field. At present, these are divided into 5 separate departments: 16th – 19th Century Art and Antiquities, Miscellany, Modern and Contemporary Art, Design and African and Non-European Art.
Neumeister’s success is linked with great names and it enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide. A list of its successes includes the auctioning of the family estate of Otto Bernheimer family estate as well as the collections of Igo Levi-Luzern (faience), Heinrich Oerten (sculptures), Dr. Georg Schäfer and Rene von Schleinitz, Milwaukee Art Museum (paintings), Hugh and Molly Bareiss (faience, african art, modern and contemporary art), Paul Eipper and Dr. Christian Wolter. Special sales have included the royal dinner service of the late Bavarian King, as well as the collection of the Friends Society of the Haus der Kunst, Munich, which boasted a near 100% successful sales quota. Recently, Neumeister also successfully auctioned a collection of magnificent 14th-19th-century sculptures from a private southern German collector.
As of February 2008, Katrin Stoll has steered the fortunes of the company with the help of a staff of 35. Upon taking over all shares of the business from her two sisters, the publicly appointed and sworn art auctioneer is now the sole owner and general manager of this renowned auction house. She upholds the multi-faceted strategy of Neumeister by exploring new areas of art. Furthermore, by opening the „Galerie NEUMEISTER“ she has placed an accent on contemporary art and design. Located on the Gabelsbergerstraße 17, the gallery is nestled in the midst of the neighbouring established galleries of the Pinakothek and offers a space to appreciate art in a relaxed atmosphere.
THE FUTURE IS FEMININE – A NEW GENERATION OF AUCTIONEERS IS COMPRISED OF WOMEN



A breath of fresh air has swept through our auctions. Owner and General Manager Katrin Stoll, herself a publicly appointed and sworn art auctioneer, encourages growth and emerging talent in her company, particularly where the auctions are concerned. In 2008, NEUMEISTER´s Varia and Fine Jewelry experts Barbara Huber and Christiane Scharrer successfully made their debuts at the auctioneer´s podium, followed this year by Design Expert Courtenay Smith.
2009 - NEUMEISTER ABUNDANTLY ACTIVE IN ALL DIVISIONS





In 2009, it was possible to offer a number of special sales and exhibitions alongside our regular auctions. One of the high points was the special sale of "Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art, Asian Art, Antiquities, and African Art" from the collection of our longtime expert Dr. Karl-Ferdinand Schaedler.
The collection, amassed over four decades, brought many spectacular results from both the international trade and private collectors. The two extravagant catalogues produced in conjunction with the sale represented a rich compendium of the history of collecting African art and were in great demand.
A special sale of Modern and Contemporary art also yielded very satisfying results: 86 % of the estate of the Munich gallerist Dr. Jürgen Hermeyer, a staunch supporter of figurative, gestural and temperamental Neo-Expressionism, was successfully sold. For our established clients as well as a trend conscious public and the media alike, our special sale of Vintage Fashion and Accessories in summer was the cause of a great sensation.
As the overheated art market cools down, NEUMEISTER is profiting from its reputation as an established auction house with its traditional stance of healthy diversification, moderate pricing and a full staff of experts. The current shortage of objects on offer led to particularly good results for consignments of exceptional quality in our Modern and Old Master departments. Furthermore, a well-known trend became apparent: when the stock market booms, art buyers focus on works of contemporary art. In times of recession, they invest in Old Masters and classic works of art. Old Masters are now once again in good demand - a sign that, in particular, pieces new to the market and rare works can bring top prices in economically difficult times. Unusual objects and exceptional quality were also crucial to the area of Applied Art and often resulted in quadrupled estimates and top-notch market prices. And so we were able to record pleasing results for 2009, confirming once again the solidity of our firm and the fact that a sensible price-service relationship is appreciated by our buyers.