Roseberys London’s special dedicated sale featured one of the best collections of works by Polish/British artist Josef Herman OBE RA (1911-2000) to ever come to auction, all from the Estate of Agi Katz, founder and director of Boundary Gallery.

Please find below a selection of notable sales by William Summerfield, Roseberys’ Modern British & 20th Century Art specialist.

‘It was an excellent day of results, including an auction record for an artwork by Margaret ‘Grete’ Marks and most excitingly the sale of Josef Herman’s ‘Refugees: Three Figures and Child, Glasgow, 1940-41’ (lot 16) to the Ben Uri Gallery and Museum. The sale showed the continued interest in the artists Agi Katz’s promoted and particularly in Josef Herman.’

 

Lot 16: Josef Herman OBE RA, Refugees: Three Figures and Child, Glasgow, 1940-41

 

We were delighted that this hugely moving scene, created when Herman first came to the UK as a refugee, sold to the Ben Uri Gallery and Museum in London for £5,980 premium, amongst the highest prices ever paid for a Herman work on paper. It is particularly significant due to Ben Uri’s focus in both their collection and activities on the promotion of the Jewish, Refugee and Immigrant Contribution to British Visual Culture since 1900. 

Other significant prices were achieved for the following works by Josef Herman,

Lot 20: ‘Two Figures, 1963’ sold for £5,720 premium

Lot 12: ‘Miner in Landscape’ sold for £5,460 premium

Lot 6: ‘Miner with Pipe and Dog, 1946’ sold for £3,120 premium

 

Lot 2: Margarete 'Grete' Marks, The Divorcee, 1934

 

We were thrilled that the two lots (2 and 3) by Margarete 'Grete' Marks both sold for £2,860 premium, new auction records for the artist. There was highly competitive bidding for both works by phone and the internet, demonstrating how buyers continue to fight for rare works of high quality.