Prague painting by Oskar Kokoschka sells for record high 78.5 million crowns at Czech auction

Prague, Oct 20 (CTK) – Oskar Kokoschka’s painting from 1934 was sold for almost 78.5 million crowns, including the auction surcharge, at an auction in Prague today, which is a new Czech auction record, Alena Havlikova, from the Adolf Loos Apartment and Gallery auction hall, has told CTK.

The painting entitled “Prague – View from the Monastery of the Knights of the Cross with a Red Star” was auctioned off for 68.25 million crowns to which a 15-percent auction surcharge was added.

The painting has beaten the previous auction record of 78 million crowns (65 million plus 20-percent surcharge) paid for the painting “Transverse Surfaces II” by Czech-born Abstract art pioneer Frantisek Kupka (1871-1975) in Prague in May.

Austrian expressionist artist Kokoschka (1886-1980) created “Prague – View from the Monastery of the Knights of the Cross with a Red Star” when he arrived in Prague in late summer 1934. It belongs to his cycle of the Prague “veduta” cityscape paintings. It was displayed at the Manes gallery in October 1934.

As today’s auction took place in Manes as well, the artifact returned to this famous exhibition hall exactly after 85 years.

Its starting price was 68 million crowns.

Kokoschka’s paintings depicting views of Prague from various spots are in great art collections in the Czech Republic and abroad.

“Prague – View from the Monastery of the Knights of the Cross with a Red Star” sold today along with another two paintings of his, “Prague – Charles Bridge,” owned by the National Gallery Prague, and “Prague – Hradcany and Petrin,” are Kokoschka’s most significant Prague vedutas, the auction hall says.

List of the most expensive paintings sold at Czech auctions (prices with auction surcharge):

Order Author Name Price (in millions of crowns) Year

hol/dr