Grisebach Gmbh

What Grisebach Gmbh does

Grisebach GmbH is a Berlin-based art auction house founded in 1986 that conducts live, online live, and timed online-only auctions of modern, contemporary, and 19th-century art, alongside private sales, advisory, and provenance research services. Operating from its Fasanenstraße 25 headquarters (Villa Grisebach), the company runs specialized departments covering Modern Art, Contemporary Art, 19th-Century Art, Photography, and a Third Floor online-only tier for works up to EUR 3,000, with each catalogued lot above EUR 1,000 in appraised value individually checked against the Art Loss Register. Technology infrastructure centers on an integrated online bidding platform (Global Auction Platform) for real-time internet bidding, lot-tissimo.com for live auction broadcasting, the LOST ART database for provenance verification of Nazi-era (1933-1945) cases, and MailChimp for newsletter distribution, all hosted on EU-based infrastructure under GDPR.

Revenue is generated primarily on a transaction basis: differential-taxed lots carry a 34% buyer's premium up to EUR 1M stepping down to 29% above EUR 1M and 24% above EUR 4M, with standard-taxed lots marked 'R' taxed at 29%/23%/17%, plus a separate seller commission deducted from hammer price, plus 7% import turnover tax on non-EU imports, plus droit de suite (artist's resale right) royalties collected for artists deceased within 70 years. Catalog subscriptions add recurring revenue (EUR 50/60/70 per year for Germany/Europe/Rest of World). Customers span private collectors and sellers, art dealers, museums and cultural institutions, heirs and estates, and insurance and legal professionals requiring valuations for inheritance, insurance, or private documentation. Grisebach serves this base through live auction events at the Berlin villa, online participation, private sales outside the auction calendar, and an international representative network covering German regions plus Switzerland, France, Italy, and the USA. The company is a privately held GmbH with five partners (Bernd Schultz, Micaela Kapitzky, Dr. Markus Krause, Diandra Donecker, Daniel von Schacky as spokesperson), 11-50 employees, and no external venture or private equity capital.

Name

Grisebach Gmbh

Legal name

Grisebach GmbH

Website

https://grisebach.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grisebach GmbH is a Berlin-based art auction house founded in 1986 that conducts live, online live, and timed online-only auctions of modern, contemporary, and 19th-century art, complemented by private sales, valuation, provenance research, and advisory services for collectors, estates, dealers, and institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Auction Services

NAICS

Art Dealers (45992)

akta.pro primary industry

Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry) (CRAKAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pre-owned, Vintage & Resale Luxury (Multi-category) (CRAKAFAN)

Keywords

• Art auction services
• Fine art sales
• Art advisory services
• Modern art auctions
• Contemporary art auctions

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Buyer's Premium: Commission added to hammer price for buyers. For differential-taxed lots: 34% up to EUR 1,000,000, 29% on portion above EUR 1,000,000, 24% on portion above EUR 4,000,000. For standard-taxed lots marked 'R': 29% up to EUR 1,000,000, 23% above EUR 1,000,000, 17% above EUR 4,000,000.
2. Seller Commission: Grisebach retains a commission deducted from the hammer price, oriented on the sum of the price and regulated in the contract's Conditions of Sale.
3. Import Turnover Tax: For artworks imported from outside the EU (marked 'N'), additional 7% import turnover tax on hammer price is charged to buyers.
4. Catalog Subscriptions: Annual subscriptions for printed auction catalogs: EUR 50 Germany, EUR 60 Europe, EUR 70 Rest of World.
5. Droit de Suite (Artist's Resale Right): Resale royalties collected from sellers for artists deceased within 70 years, capped at EUR 12,500, charged to buyers according to statutory tiered rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Grisebach GmbH operates as a traditional art auction house in Berlin, conducting live auctions for modern, contemporary, 19th-century, and photographic art at its Fasanenstraße villa. The firm supplements live events with real-time online live bidding and timed online-only auctions, while also facilitating discreet private sales outside the public auction calendar. Additional offerings include art advisory and consulting, provenance research with particular expertise in Nazi-era restitution cases, scientific cataloguing, condition reports, art appraisals, art transport logistics, and annual catalog subscriptions.

Product overview

Grisebach GmbH operates as an art auction house offering a multi-channel platform for buying and selling fine art. The core offering consists of live auctions held at their Berlin villa (Fasanenstraße 25), supplemented by Online Live Auctions for remote real-time participation and Online Only timed auctions for exclusive internet sales. Additional services include Private Sales for discreet transactions outside the auction calendar, Art Consulting for personalized collector advisory, Provenance Research (with particular expertise in Nazi-era restitution cases), Scientific Cataloguing, and Art Transport logistics. The company publishes comprehensive auction Catalogues (with annual subscriptions) and provides Search Request notifications, Condition Reports, and Estimate Requests. Regional Representatives across Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, and the USA support international clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Auctions

Quantifiable outcome

• EUR 4.98 million achieved for Georg Kolbe 'Tänzerinnen-Brunnen' at summer 2026 auctions - world record
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Art Loss RegistercoreTechnology or IntegrationGrisebach is a partner of the Art Loss Register. All auction works that are clearly identifiable and have an appraised value of at least EUR 1,000 are individually checked against the Register's database before auction. This partnership provides provenance verification and helps prevent trafficking in stolen art.
• LOST ART Database (Koordinierungsstelle Magdburg)coreTechnology or IntegrationGrisebach utilizes the German federal and state government-supported LOST ART database for provenance research, particularly for works with unclear ownership histories related to Nazi-era confiscation (1933-1945).
• lot-tissimo.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationLive auction broadcasting platform used by Grisebach for streaming auctions online. Provider is Auction Technology Group Germany GmbH, Hamburg.
• GlobalAuctionPlatformcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline bidding platform provider enabling real-time internet bidding at Grisebach auctions through secure login and bidder registration.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Artcurial: Paris-based auction house covering modern, contemporary, and 19th-century art. Comparable business model and category mix, primarily competing with Grisebach for European consignments but anchored in the French market.
• Bukowskis: Stockholm-based Nordic auction house covering modern and contemporary art. Comparable auction house model but with primary geographic focus on the Nordics rather than Central Europe.
• Dorotheum: Vienna-based auction house covering modern, contemporary, and 19th-century art across the German-speaking region. Comparable business model and category focus, with a primary geographic emphasis on Austria rather than Germany.

Direct peers

• Ketterer Kunst: Munich- and Berlin-based German auction house specializing in modern and contemporary art with online live bidding. Directly comparable to Grisebach in geography, category mix, and buyer/seller profile.
• Lempertz: Cologne-based traditional German auction house covering modern, contemporary, and 19th-century art, with a comparable multi-category saleroom model and online bidding platform. Lempertz is Grisebach's closest head-to-head competitor in the German-speaking fine art auction market.

Emerging players

• Aguttes: Paris-based independent auction house growing in modern and contemporary art with a French/European focus. Comparable category mix and online bidding capabilities, with a smaller and more regionally focused footprint than Grisebach.

Broad incumbents

• Bonhams: International auction house with European operations covering modern and contemporary art. Comparable category and business model, with broader geographic reach than Grisebach.
• Christie's: Global incumbent covering modern and contemporary art with international salerooms. Comparable category overlap with Grisebach and direct competition for high-value consignments, though with materially larger scale and bidder pool.
• Sotheby's: Global incumbent auction house with deep presence in Impressionist, modern, and contemporary art. Comparable in category coverage but vastly larger scale, broader geographic footprint, and brand reach; competes with Grisebach for top consignments and international bidders.
• Phillips: Global auction house with strong contemporary art focus and an established European platform. Comparable in modern/contemporary art category but at materially larger scale than Grisebach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/grisebachauctions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grisebach
• Instagraminstagram.com/grisebach_auctions

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grisebach Gmbh