Roman Norbert Ketterer
Roman Norbert Ketterer | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 6, 1911 |
| Died | June 19, 2002 (aged 91) |
| Occupation(s) | Art dealer, auctioneer, gallery proprietor |
| Known for | Founder of Stuttgart Art Cabinet; overseer of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner estate; founder of Kirchner Museum Davos |
Roman Norbert Ketterer (born February 6, 1911 – died June 19, 2002) was a distinguished German art dealer, auctioneer, and gallery proprietor.
The Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett
In 1946, Roman Norbert Ketterer, who had previously led the special oils firm Südöl in Eislingen, established the Stuttgart Art Cabinet. Between 1947 and 1962, this institution conducted 37 auctions featuring classical modern artworks, including pieces once condemned as "degenerate" by the Nazi government. Esteemed collectors such as David Rockefeller, Stavros Niarchos, and Hans Heinrich von Thyssen-Bornemisza purchased works here, playing a key role in the reintegration of classical modern art into museums and collections within German-speaking regions.
Among the notable personnel were Ketterer’s brother Wolfgang Ketterer, who later founded an independent auction house in Munich; Wilhelm Friedrich Arntz, whose archival materials are now preserved at the Getty Center; and Ewald Rathke, who went on to direct Kunstverein Frankfurt.
Galerie Roman Norbert Ketterer in Campione d'Italia
From 1963 through 1985, Ketterer’s gallery located on Lake Lugano produced twenty-three catalogs showcasing modern art. Utilizing his extensive industry knowledge and connections, he successfully launched a gallery in the Italian enclave of Campione d'Italia. Starting in the late 1970s, he partnered with Galleria Henze, which had been founded by his daughter Ingeborg Henze-Ketterer and her husband Dr. Wolfgang Henze, also based in Campione d'Italia. These ventures later developed into Henze & Ketterer Gallery situated in Wichtrach near Bern (established 1993) and Henze & Ketterer & Triebold Gallery located in Riehen near Basel (since 2005).
In 1967, a painting by Emil Nolde auctioned by Ketterer became the subject of a restitution claim filed by the descendants of Otto Nathan Deutsch. The artwork had vanished when the Deutsch family escaped Nazi Germany. After extended legal proceedings, an agreement was finalized in 2006.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner estate
Roman Norbert Ketterer oversaw the estate of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner from 1954 until his passing in 2002. Both men are interred at Davos forest cemetery.
Kirchner Museum Davos
On September 4, 1992, Roman Norbert Ketterer and his wife Rosemarie Ketterer (1922–2017) founded the Kirchner Museum Davos. The museum’s new facility—donated by the Ketters—contains approximately 500 artworks and 160 sketchbooks from Kirchner’s estate. These materials were cataloged by Gerd Presler in 1996 and later digitized for online access in 2019.
In recognition of their contributions, Roman Norbert Ketterer (posthumously) and Rosemarie Ketterer were granted honorary citizenship of Davos Landschaft in 2011.
References
Links
- Galerie Henze & Ketterer Wichtrach/Bern
- Galerie Henze & Ketterer & Triebold Riehen/Basel
- Anja Heuß: Roman Norbert Ketterer (1911–2002), Stadtarchiv Stuttgart: Digitales Stadtlexikon Stuttgart, published August 13, 2019.
- Der Mann mit dem Flair. In: Der Spiegel 35/1960, August 23, 1960.