Galerie Henze & Ketterer
Program and mission statement
Now in its third generation and a family business since 1946, Galerie Henze & Ketterer specializes in Modern art and contemporary art with a focus on German Expressionism. Since the mid-1950s, the gallery has managed the estate of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, one of the most important artists of this movement and co-founder of the artists' association "Brücke".
In this way, Galerie Henze & Ketterer contributes to showing the works of "Brücke", Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Expressionism in one form or another in international museums. A current list of exhibitions with loans can be found under exhibitions.
Classical Modern art, Informal Art (L' Art Informel) and Abstraction after 1945, New Figuration and contemporary art with painters and sculptors from Italy, Spain and Germany form the gallery's other focal points.
The gallery is dedicated to Expressionism, in particular Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, as well as positions of classical Modern art and Abstraction after 1945 with exhibitions on three floors.
Exhibitions of contemporary artists and large-format works are shown in the spacious and modern rooms of the "KUNST-DEPOT", which was designed by the architects Gigon/Guyer, who also designed the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Museum in Davos.
The gallery has been based in Wichtrach/Bern since 1993, previously in Stuttgart from 1946, in Campione d'Italia on Lake Lugano in 1962 and 1970 and in Riehen/Basel from 2001-2024.
In addition to Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, the gallery also manages the archives and estates of Berthold Müller-Oerlinghausen, Theo Eble and Fritz Winter. With the information from the"Archiv Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett Roman Norbert Ketterer", Galerie Henze & Ketterer makes an important contribution to international provenance research on the art of Modern art.
Other activities of Galerie Henze & Ketterer include the art trade, commissions, art books, publications and advisory activities on the topics of documentation, authenticity, conservation, insurance and transportation. The gallery has a long-standing commitment to working with and advising artists, collectors, colleagues and curators.
Since the early 1970s, the gallery has participated in international art fairs, including Art Basel, FIAC Paris, Masterpiece London and to date TEFAF Maastricht, Art Cologne and Art Karlsruhe.
The gallery is represented online via various Online Viewing Rooms (OVR) as well as with profiles at artsy.net, artnet.com, ifpda.org, printed-editions.com, ocula.com, Instagram, Youtube and LinkedIn.
OUR OFFERS & SERVICES
Art consulting from classical Modern art to contemporary art
The team of Galerie Henze & Ketterer is happy to be able to offer both old and young collectors advice on all questions that may arise when building and maintaining a collection from Modern art to the present, to the best of its knowledge and belief .
Please do not hesitate to ask us any questions that may arise. We will do our utmost to find a meaningful answer in a timely manner, as we personally are also passionate, long-time collectors of the art we represent with so much heart and soul.
We are equally dedicated to a selection of strong positions in post-war, abstract and contemporary art. As for artists not mentioned by name in the program of Galerie und Kunstberatung Henze & Ketterer, we can often find suitable works for collections through our good connections. We work with an extensive stock of our own works.
For special exhibition projects and fair participations but also with commission works from estates, colleagues, collectors or directly from living artists.
Art sale: services, guarantees and costs
We guarantee the authenticity, problem-free provenance and condition of all works we deal in. Any existing condition problems, provenance gaps or similar are mentioned transparently in the work texts. In principle, we do not offer problematic, damaged or dubious works.
We can have condition reports drawn up by leading museum restorers for serious prospective buyers of important works.
Administration of the estate of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Since the mid-1950s, the gallery has been the custodian of the estate of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, one of the most important artists of the classic Modern art and initiator of the artists' association "Brücke". In this way, Galerie Henze & Ketterer contributes to showing the works of "Brücke", Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Expressionism in one form or another in an international exhibition context.
For all works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner that we deal in, the collector receives the official confirmation of authenticity from the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive, which is located at Galerie Henze & Ketterer in Wichtrach / Bern, free of charge.
Estate administration & provenance research
In addition to Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, the gallery also manages the archives and estates of Berthold Müller-Oerlinghausen, Eduard Bargheer, Francis Bott and Fritz Winter.
With the information from the"Archive Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett Roman Norbert Ketterer", Galerie Henze & Ketterer makes an important contribution to international provenance research on art from Modern art.
Gigon/Guyer Art Depot
In 2001, the KUNST-DEPOT was built next to the gallery by the architects Gigon/Guyer, who built the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Museum in Davos in 1992. The upper level of the KUNST-DEPOT is a showroom in the format of an art gallery.
Here, Galerie Henze & Ketterer presents special exhibitions of large formats or selected works by its younger artists: Dario Basso, Jürgen Brodwolf, Alfonso Hüppi, Kubach-Wilmsen, Giovanni Manfredini, Nakis Panayotidis, Daniel Spoerri.
HISTORY
Roman Norbert Ketterer
- Stuttgart Art Cabinet
In 1946 Roman Norbert Ketterer (1911 - 2002) discovered Expressionism, which had been ostracized in the Third Reich and was still unknown to him, as the true art of his generation and founded the Stuttgart Kunstkabinett in order to give this art the recognition it deserved.
By means of special auctions, which from 1946 to 1962 increased in volume, quality, and price level to the point of world renown, he brought Expressionism back into the light of day, into private collections and back into the museums looted by the Nazis.
In Stuttgart at that time, the foundations were laid for collections such as those of Heinrich von Thyssen, Bernhard Sprengel and Lothar Günther Buchheim, which later became important museums.
From 1954, Roman Norbert Ketterer was also the administrator of the estate of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. As a result, he and his wife Rosemarie Ketterer were able to donate the building and collection of the Kirchner Museum Davos in 1992. From 1962 to 1988, R. N. Ketterer was the leading specialist for Expressionism in Campione d'Italia on Lake Lugano.
Further information about Roman Norbert Ketterer
(Photo: Federal Government/Schaack)
Ingeborg Henze-Ketterer
Dr. Wolfgang Henze
In Campione d'Italia in 1970, his daughter Ingeborg Henze-Ketterer and his son-in-law Dr. Wolfgang Henze, son of the art critic Anton Henze (1913 - 1983), who was active in Münster and Rome, founded their own company. This specialized in prints of expressionism, abstraction of the 50s and younger artists.
They have continued this activity since 1993 in Wichtrach/Bern, taking care of other estates and setting up archives of artists' complete works, such as the one for Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Since the death of Roman Norbert Ketterer in 2002, the Kirchner estate has been administered by Ingeborg Henze-Ketterer and Günther Ketterer.
Starting in 2020, Wichtrach/Bern will host changing permanent exhibitions on Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, the "Brücke", Expressionism and its aftermath, as well as other long-standing positions in the gallery's program.
The Galerie Henze & Ketterer thus becomes a center for Expressionism research. In the archives there, in particular to the complete works of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and to the Stuttgart art cabinet Roman Norbert Ketterer, exhibitions, publications and conferences are supervised and organized world-wide to this range of the Modern art , authenticity questions are clarified as well as Provenienzforschung are made.
Further information about Dr. Wolfgang Henze
Dr. Alexandra Henze
Alexandra Henze is part of the third generation of the Henze-Ketterer family to manage the gallery.
As an expert on Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, the art historian with a doctorate is also involved in curating and accompanying international museum exhibitions as well as contributing to catalogs and lectures on the artist's work.
Alexandra Henze managed Galerie Henze & Ketterer in Riehen/Basel, which was formerly founded as Galerie Henze & Ketterer & Triebold, for over 20 years until 2024.
Opening speech, Kichner Museum Davos, 2024
(Photo: Stephan Bösch)
Dr. Wolfgang Henze and Ingeborg Henze-Ketterer
Günther Ketterer
Carola Ertle Ketterer
GüntherKetterer, Roman Norbert Ketterer's son, is co-owner of Galerie Henze & Ketterer and, among other things, president of the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Foundation Davos.
Together with his wife Carola Ertle Ketterer, who is also culturally active in numerous positions, he collects contemporary and video art.
Since 2004, Carola and Günther Ketterer-Ertle have dedicated their own platform, videokunst.ch, with a showroom at the Progr cultural center in Bern. The Art Nachlassstiftung (Art Estate Foundation ) is another important initiative; it looks after high-quality estates of works by artists whose work is significant for their time and their local and international sphere of influence.
The showroom's program is made up of presentations of works from their own collection and new discoveries that the collector couple would like to give a platform to. Since the 1990s, video art has been a main focus of the Carola and Günther Ketterer-Ertle collection. The personal contact and direct exchange with the artists is a central criterion of the collection's activities and the basis for the mostly long-term collaboration.
Kirchner Museum Davos
Since 1954 Roman Norbert Ketterer was the administrator of the estate of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Therefore, in 1992 he and his wife Rosemarie Ketterer were able to donate the building and the collection of the Kirchner Museum Davos.
The Kirchner Museum Davos is a non-profit private museum owned by the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Foundation Davos. The foundation owns the Gigon/Guyer museum building.
The Kirchner Museum Davos collects, preserves, researches and communicates the work of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. The collection of the Kirchner Museum Davos covers all the creative periods of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner from 1904 to 1938, and also brings together selected works by Brücke artists and other representatives of the classic Modern art.
The Kirchner Museum Davos is a cultural beacon in Switzerland. It is a place of contemplation, regeneration and discussion. The Kirchner Museum Davos is a cosmopolitan, service-oriented and family-friendly museum that addresses all ages and social groups.
