The Dorotheum () is one of the world's oldest

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

houses and is the largest auction house of art items in Continental Europe. Established by Emperor Joseph I in 1707, it has its headquarters in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

on the

Dorotheergasse Dorotheergasse is a narrow lane (German: ), terminating at the Graben to the north and Augustinerstraße to the south, part of the Old Town district of Vienna, Austria. It is named for the monastery of St. Dorothea, Dorotheerkloster. Dorotheergass ...

and branches in other European countries. Besides auctions, the retail sector also plays a major role in Dorotheum's business. In the Dorotheum, works of art, antiques, furniture, and jewellery from various centuries are put up for auction. The building is constructed in the neo-classical style. It is an attraction for Viennese natives and numerous tourists alike. Branches exist in Vienna in the Austrian states, the Czech capital of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, and the Italian cities of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

and Rome, as well as in Düsseldorf, Munich and Brussels.

History

The firm's establishment as the ''Versatz- und Fragamt zu Wien'' was carried out by Emperor

Joseph I Joseph I or Josef I may refer to: *Joseph I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch in 1266–1275 and 1282–1283 *Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (1678–1711) *Joseph I (Chaldean Patriarch) (reigned 1681–1696) *Joseph I of Portugal (1750–1777) ...

in 1707. Seventy years later it moved into the former Dorotheerkloster, which gave it its current name of ''Dorotheum''. The new building of the Dorotheum Palace in the location of the old cloister was completed in 1901. During the Nazi years, the Dorotheum played an important role in selling property seized from Jews by the Gestapo Office for the Disposal of the Property of Jewish Emigrants, known as the

Vugesta The Vugesta (also VUGESTAP) for “''Vermögens-Umzugsgut von der Gestapo''" ("Property Removed by the Gestapo") was a Nazi looting organization in Vienna that from 1940 to 1945 seized the possessions of 5,000-6,000 Viennese Jews. It was a key pl ...

. The Dorotheum chief expert, Dr. Hans Herbst, was appointed by Hermann Voss, director of Hitler's planned

Führermuseum The ''Führermuseum'' or ''Fuhrer-Museum'' (English: Leader's Museum), also referred to as the Linz art gallery, was an unrealized art museum within a cultural complex planned by Adolf Hitler for his hometown, the Austrian city of Linz, near ...

, as an official buyer for the Nazis. After WWII the Dorotheum rebuilt. In 1978 it held 2,722 auctions that grossed $25.2 million. At the end of the 1980s, the building's foyer and interior were redesigned by the Viennese architect and designer Luigi Blau. In 2001, the Dorotheum was sold to an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n consortium and since then has greatly expanded, including opening offices abroad in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and the UK. In November 2018, a landscape painting, one of

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "R ...

's lesser-known works valued at €160,000, was stolen from the auction house just days before it was scheduled to be auctioned off.

Controversies

In 2001 two landscapes by

Norbert Grund Norbert Grund (4 December 1717 – 17 July 1767) was a Bohemian painter who worked in the Rococo style. Grund was born in Prague. He was trained by his father, Christian Grund, who worked as a court painter in Kolovrat. In 1737, Grund complet ...

that had been looted by Nazis in Holland in 1941 were consigned to the Dorotheum for sale. After public outcry and much discussion, the Dorotheum withdrew the paintings from sale and returned them, not to the consigners but to the "rightful owners". Recognizing the risk that Nazi-tainted art may have passed through the Dorotheum to museums, the State Museums of Vienna published a list of objects purchased from the Dorotheum between 1938 and 1945 to facilitate verification.

Gallery

File:Friedrich von Amerling - Mädchen mit Strohhut.jpg, ''Girl with Straw Hat'' by

Friedrich von Amerling Friedrich von Amerling (14 April 1803 – 14 January 1887) was an Austro-Hungarian portrait painter in the court of Franz Josef. He was born in Vienna and was court painter between 1835 and 1880. With Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller he is one of ...

File:Adolf Eberle Der gelunge Brief.jpg, ''Der gelunge Brief'', by

Adolf Eberle Adolf Eberle (11 January 1843 – 24 January 1914) was a German painter who specialised in genre painting, particularly of Bavarian and Tyrolean farmers and huntsmen. Biography Eberle was born in Munich; his father, Robert Eberle, was also ...

File:Emile Galle poppies vase 1900.JPG, Vase by

Émile Gallé Émile Gallé (8 May 1846 in Nancy – 23 September 1904 in Nancy) was a French artist and designer who worked in glass, and is considered to be one of the major innovators in the French Art Nouveau movement. He was noted for his designs of ...

File:Anthony van Dyck (workshop) Portrait of a boy (possibly James II).jpg, Portrait of a boy (possibly James II) by

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh c ...

File:Straßenfest (Florenz 17 Jh).jpg, Painting from the

Florentine School Florentine painting or the Florentine School refers to artists in, from, or influenced by the naturalistic style developed in Florence in the 14th century, largely through the efforts of Giotto di Bondone, and in the 15th century the leading scho ...

, 17th century (anonymous) File:Georg Macco Südliche Landschaft mit Lavendel.jpg, ''Südliche Landschaft mit Lavendel'',

Georg Macco Georg Macco (23 March 1863, Aachen - 20 April 1933, Genoa) was a German landscape painter and illustrator, associated with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule. He is primarily known for his Orientalist works. Biography He was inspired by storie ...

, 1914.

References

*The information in this article is based on a translation of its German equivalent.

External links

* *
German Lost Art Foundation
Austrian auction houses Culture in Vienna Retail companies established in 1707 Companies based in Vienna Tourist attractions in Vienna Buildings and structures in Vienna 1707 establishments in Austria {{Austria-company-stub