Bidding/Buying at an auction house

Auctions at an auction house are the most transparent and most common form of buying quality art. This form of selling, which dates back to antiquity, guarantees a fair price, allows inexpensive shopping and rewards the connoisseurship of customers. In an auction house it is the customer who determines the price.

There are many ways of taking part in an auction:

All objects that are for sale are described in the catalog and can be taken for inspection during the preview. Our art experts will gladly advise you. In addition, upon request, we provide you with status reports on individual objects

On the day of the auction, the objects will be sold in a specific order, wherein the objects are first called at the opening price, which is usually about half of the estimate. With every subsequent bid, the price increases in 10% increments. The highest bid is awarded a contract and obligated to acceptance. The auction price (the so-called hammer price) is then increased by a commission of 24% and a possible resale right, if this is applicable.

In case of the works of artists who are still alive or died less than 70 years ago, we have to levy the resale royalty obligation that benefits the artist or his heirs. The resale royalty is 4% of the highest bid for hammer prices up to € 50,000, however when this amount exceeds € 150,000 the resale royalty is 3%, with the subsequent € 150,000 1% and if this amount is exceeded yet again by € 150,000 0.5%, above that- 0.25%. The resale right can sum up to a maximum of € 12,500.

We specialize in the following artists


Post Auction Sale

Objects for which no bid was submitted or which remained below the limit agreed with the Consignor are offered at the limit price in the after sale and could be bought there at once. Prices in the catalog for the Post Auction Salte already include all fees!

It is also possible to issue bids below the limit by e-mail. The auction house then clarifies with the consignor as to whether the lower bid is accepted.

As we are only mediators of the sale, the payment of the invoice must be made within 8 days.

For further questions we are at your disposal!


Selling at the auction house

The auction house is the best way to sell valuable objects. An auction allows a transparent sale and the highest price.

Lehner Art Auctions specializes in works of classical modernism as well as contemporary art from Austria and Germany.

It is really easy to sell a work of art:

  1. Please send a photo and description of the work to info@lehnerkunstauktionen.at
  2. You visit us in person in Vienna at Getreidemarkt 1 during our opening hours (Tues – Fri 2:00pm – 6:00pm, Satur: 10am – 1:00pm) or arrange a meeting.
  3. We are happy to come to you to see the works
  4. On the basis of the information you sent us, we will send you a preliminary assessment of the estimate and you can bring the work to us or we can arrange transport for you.

At Lehner art auctions, it is our principle that we do not charge any fixed prices. The only cost for you are the transport to the auction house and pick up after the auction. In the case of a successful sale , the auction house obtains 10 % of the hammer price at a opening price over 3.000 EUR, at a lower opening price 15 %. We do not charge for neither catalog nor photo costs and therefore work purely based on success!

If your work does not find a buyer, you will not be charged.

If you want to secure a price above the opening price by setting a limit, it cost 3 % of the limit; at least 70,- . but a maximum of 300,- .

It is one of our core activities to inform you about the market prospects and define a reasonable price strategy.

In order for your work to find the right customer, we directly contact over 10,000 potential customers worldwide whose collection priorities and preferences we know to a large extent. This database is constantly being expanded and maintained. We also invest in print and online advertising and make use of the leading portals to ensure that potential buyers do not miss our auction. After the auction you will receive an invoice. It is based on the hammer price, i.e. the price at which the auction was awarded a contract. The cosigner provision and most agreed costs such as transportation or limit reduction will be deducted from this amount. You get your money once the customer has paid.

Nach der Auktion erhalten Sie eine Abrechnung. Sie geht vom Meistbot aus, also dem Betrag, zu dem in der Auktion der Zuschlag erteilt wurde. Von diesem Betrag werden die Einbringerprovision, und allenfalls vereinbarte Kosten wie für den Transport oder Limitsetzung abgezogen. Ihr Geld erhalten Sie sobald der Kunde bezahlt hat.

We specialize , among others, in the following artists.

For further questions we are at your disposal!