Sell art with Karl & Faber

An art auction is a question of trust and professionalism

Since 1923, the name Karl & Faber has stood for successful art auctions with international scope. Holding up to 15 auctions a year, Karl & Faber is among the top 5 most profitable auction houses in Germany. Our team of experienced specialists accompany art lovers, collectors and art dealers from across the globe to ensure the reliable and successful sale of extensive collections, individual works, and entire estates. With our proven combination of traditional live auctions in the saleroom and modern online only sales and discrete private sales, we provide flexible and tailored solutions for the sale of high value art.

You can trust in our personalised consultation and professional marketing if you want to sell a work of art or your collection. It is our goal to present your artworks on the international art market in the best possible light and to achieve the best prices for you. Your success is our success.

We look forward to meeting you and your art! 

Get inspired by the top results from our auctions. Perhaps your work will soon be among them?

How do I sell art with Karl & Faber?

We make sales as easy as possible: successful auctions in just five simple steps.

1. Appraisal and valuation of your artworks – free and non-binding

Simply show us your paintings, drawings, sculptures or other works and within just a few days, our experts will provide you with a professional valuation. We take account of the current market situation, price developments for the artist in question and the work itself with regard to technique, motif, date, condition and provenance.

This service is entirely free and non-binding for you.

In order to help us with the initial valuation, we would ask you to provide precise information on the following: 

  • Name of the artist
  • Technique or material of the image or sculpture (for example oil or acrylic paint on canvas, watercolour, bronze)
  • Dimensions without the frame
  • Photographs of the front and back of the work, preferably also a detail photograph of the signature
  • Photographs of any labels or annotations on the work (if applicable)
  • When and where was the work acquired?
  • Has it been exhibited before?

Please take note of the price ranges for consignments to our auctions:
We only accept works of art of an estimate of € 800 and above.
Works with an estimate below € 3,000 (Modern and Contemporary Art) will only be offered in our online only auctions.

You can send your valuation request to us as follows:

Online or via email 
The fastest way to receive a valuation is to fill out the online form and upload photographs of your works.

You can also send your valuation request via email. When doing so, please provide us with your full contact details (name, address and telephone number).

In person
You are also welcome to visit us in person at our headquarters in the centre of Munich, located close to Odeonsplatz. Please arrange an appointment with one of our experts in advance to make sure we have time to examine your works in detail. If you would like a valuation for a larger collection or an extensive estate, we would also be happy to arrange a home visit.

Call us, we’re happy to help!
Experts

You are also welcome to visit us in person at our headquarters in the centre of Munich, located close to Odeonsplatz. Please arrange an appointment with one of our experts in advance to make sure we have time to examine your works in detail. If you would like a valuation for a larger collection or an extensive estate, we would also be happy to arrange a home visit.
Locations

The art experts from all our departments travel regularly to valuation days throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, London and the USA. Here you can present your works and also receive free and non-binding valuations.

You are also welcome to arrange a personal consultation with one of our representatives outside of the valuation days.
Current valuation days

In the post 
You are also welcome to send your valuation request with photographs of your artwork to us by post. Please provide your full contact details and a telephone number so that we can get in touch with you.

Karl & Faber Kunstauktionen GmbH
Amiraplatz 3 – Luitpoldblock
D – 80333 Munich
Locations

2. Consignment and contract

We are always pleased and grateful for the trust you place in us when you decide to consign your works to one of our auctions following consultation and valuation.

Our consultants will discuss the estimate and reserve prices for your items with you in detail and arrange auction conditions tailored to your artworks. They will also help you decide whether an expertise or restoration of the work is necessary. You will then receive an auction contract.

If you decide that you would rather not sell your work publicly in an auction and would prefer a discrete direct sale, we also offer a special private sale service. We would be happy to advise you about this.

We are always glad to accept your consignments. However, they should arrive at our premises in Munich at least eight weeks before the auction date. All works are insured by us from the moment they are entrusted to us.

You can also bring your artworks to our Munich office in person, or to one of our representatives upon request. Smaller items can be sent in the post as long as they are securely packaged (no glazed frames!). You can also arrange for us to collect the artworks from your home, in which case we will make sure they are transported professionally and affordably. Our shipping specialists are happy to advise you.

Upcoming auction dates

3. Catalogue & online presentation

From now on, we’ll take care of everything! 

Our experienced team of art historians, photographers and marketing experts will now take over the professional presentation and marketing of your works.

We catalogue and photograph the works, carrying out detailed research in order to include all the most important information in our catalogues. If necessary, we can request an expertise from an internationally renowned, independent expert. We can also arrange for professional cleaning and restoration to be carried out by experienced restorers. These measures can raise the value of your items at auction and become the deciding factor for a successful sale.

Our high-quality auction catalogues are sent out to a large national and international customer base around four weeks before the sale.

As a consignor, you will automatically receive a free copy of the catalogue in the post.

In addition to the print catalogues, we also publish all of our auction catalogues online on our website. These feature additional illustrations and detail photos of the works. Our catalogues are also published on international auction portals such as Invaluable and Drouot, which helps them reach art lovers and collectors throughout the world. In 2019 alone, our auctions attracted potential buyers from 92 different countries.

We organise our online only auctions in collaboration with Invaluable. These sales are held in the internet with a digital catalogue available online throughout the duration of the auction, both on the Karl & Faber website and on Invaluable. The outreach of these virtual auctions is immense and they attract a large number of bidders from around the world.

Our marketing department makes sure that the auctions are publicised through newsletters, invitations, advertisements, articles, interviews and videos in the German and international press, including in all relevant art magazines and newspapers as well as our social media channels, attracting a lot of attention and piquing the interest of the international art world.

4. Preview & auction

All of the artworks in our live auctions can be viewed in person during our public previews in Munich. Selected works are also sent to our representatives in Hamburg, Düsseldorf, and Vienna.

Vernissages, discussions and special events surrounding the auctions and the art market attract both regular customers and interested new customers to our exhibition spaces on Amiraplatz.

You can take a virtual tour of our premises here. 

On the day of the auction, our whole team is ready to ensure the best possible sale for the artworks you entrust to us. Many collectors and potential buyers bid in person in the saleroom, and customers from further afield take part via telephone or place their bids directly via our online auction portals.

As a consignor, you are also welcome to take part in our previews and auctions. There you will experience the special atmosphere of an exciting art sale first hand. Particularly sought-after works often attract intense bidding battles!

After the auction, any unsold works are offered in the post-auction sale. Here, our customers are able to purchase the pieces directly for the agreed upon reserve price.

5. Billing and payment

Around five weeks after the auction and following the successful sale of your artwork, you will receive an invoice from our accounting team. This includes the consignment commission agreed upon in the contract as well as shared costs and expenses for catalogue images, insurance, resale rights, any expertises requested, restoration, and transport deducted from the auction result. The payment is then transferred to your account.

There is no commission levied on unsold works, you only pay the above-mentioned shared costs and expenses.

Estimate request & advice

We will be happy to provide you with an individual offer tailored to your needs.

Please contact us, we look forward to meeting you and your works of art!

To appraisal request & advice

Video instruction | Selling art at Karl & Faber