Art Expert Niels Raben Turns 60

Niels Raben is with his 30 years in the auction business a highly respected art connoisseur, with a deep well of knowledge about a field that spans artwork from 1900 to today. His knowledge of the auction world, however, goes all the way back to his childhood, since both his grandfather and mother have worked in the business. They were both colleagues with Arne Bruun Rasmussen at the auction house "Winkel & Magnussen," before Arne opened his own auction house in Bredgade. Niels in this way got an early start in a world full of art and antiques.

From Adventure Travel to the Auction Business

Niels holds a masters degree from Copenhagen Business School, where he specialized in tourist economy and worked for some years with organizing adventure trips. In 1985 he was hired as a full time employee at Kunsthallen in Copenhagen, which at the time was the leading auction house in Denmark when it came to modern art. Niels quickly became the right hand of auctioneer Jens Thygesen and was, among others, sent to London twice a year to research new trends in the international auction market. Here he built his vast knowledge of the art market and established contacts within the vast network of artists, collectors and traders, which is absolutely invaluable for working in the auction business. He was and still is particularly interested in contemporary art – CoBrA art in particular – and he has since then met many of the greatest artists in Denmark.

Career Highlights

When Bruun Rasmussen bought Kunsthallen in 2004, Niels was offered a position at the auction house, which he happily accepted. Today, he is head of the department for modern art and mentions the sale in 2005 of Danish actor Ove Sprogøe’s private art collection as one of the greatest experiences of his career – not least because Niels had followed the evolution of the collection personally. Another highlight of his career was the sale of Pierre Soulages’ masterful work "Peinture" (1963), which was sold for DKK 4.5 million in 2015. Here Niels' passion for France comes to light. Prior to the sale, he visited the newly opened "Musée Soulages" in southern France to get a closer look at one of the abstract art's greatest living figures.

Hip Gallery Owners and Private Homes

Niels is generally always on the go and is as comfortable with the hip gallery owners in Manhattan as in the private homes of customers, where he finds exquisite works of art for the upcoming auctions. At the office his colleagues describe him as an exemplary team player that shares his vast knowledge and is driven by an infectious, honest joy and enthusiasm over the great works that he and his colleagues work with every day. At the same time, he possesses a great sense of tranquillity and integrity in a hectic working environment, where he with a warm, informal approach to most of the day-to-day challenges manages to spread a positive mood. While his funny and quirky ideas, which bring a smile to most people’s faces – both colleagues and customers.

Privately

Privately, Niels is married to Bente and together they have two children, Christian and Vanessa. He enjoys traveling, skiing, cycling and playing football with KB's "Masters team", where he is a passionate goalkeeper.