We are saddened by the occasion of this auction, but we would like to display the collection with the utmost appreciation. We have the privilege of offering the art and craft collection of the art lover who was the older brother of our company's co-owner, Michael Kovacek.
However, we are also grateful. The family of Peter Kovacek has entrusted us with selling part of his collection. The collection is divided into three main categories: objects from the Wiener Werkstätte; ivory figurines; and silver and gold pieces with enamel inlays from the historicist period.
Peter Kovacek — respectfully referred to by many as 'Magister' — significantly influenced the Viennese art trade from the 1960s onwards. His fascination with art began even as a student and continued throughout his career as a secondary school teacher. In 1964, aged 24, he opened his first antique shop in Vienna's 6th district, while still teaching.
Ten years later, he founded the ‘Galerie Josefstadt’, specialising in oil paintings and watercolours from the 19th and 20th centuries.
The following year, he opened his Kunstsalon on Stallburggasse, in the heart of Vienna's antiques district. Spread over three floors, the salon presented furniture, decorative arts, and above all, paintings from the classical modern period.
He exhibited high-quality works at art fairs and published elaborate catalogues. Thanks to his outstanding expertise, he was soon appointed as an expert by the commercial court. Renowned for his polite and enthusiastic manner, he was an art dealer through and through, inspiring both himself and his customers with his passion for the works he traded. His praise was so enthusiastic that he enjoyed extraordinary sales success for decades.
However, he was not only an art dealer; he was also an art lover in the truest sense of the word. He bought many pieces that particularly appealed to him for himself. These pieces never saw his business premises; instead, they were taken home and displayed with devotion. These selected objets d'art clearly demonstrate what Peter Kovacek was drawn to; it was always floral, decorative and feminine pieces that inspired him, and these were the things with which he surrounded himself in his private life.
Auction: October 21 from 4pm
Exhibition from October 15, Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm