Tao Schirrmacher's Eisbach Treasures on View at Haus der Kunst, Munich

Tao Schirrmacher, an industrial designer, surfer, diver, and three-time European champion in rapid surfing, has spent over two decades in Munich's Eisbach scene. Starting in 2000, he searched the Eisbach for lost surfboard fins; in 2008 he found a gold ring, which sparked the collection "Lost and Drowned." His discoveries are currently exhibited at Haus der Kunst in Munich under the title "Tao Schirrmachers Sammlung. Eisbach Treasures." The collection spans jewelry, watches, telephones, cameras, sex toys, and a historically charged swastika. The Bulgari ring, made of 750 gold and weighing 10.64 grams, was the initial trigger. Schirrmacher describes diving between stones and rubble with strong currents and poor visibility, relying on touch to recognize shapes and materials. He documents each find, creating a hidden archive of urban life. The exhibition highlights the interplay between material value, memory, and contemporary history. In a separate auction report, Swann in New York sold Eddy Varekamp's stencil print "Untitled (Two Figures in the Bathroom)" for $500 during its annual LGBTQ-themed August sale. At Nagel in Stuttgart, Max Beckmann's 1912 painting "Judith und Holofernes" (110 x 100 cm) fetched €156,000, roughly double its estimate. Quittenbaum in Munich auctioned Sonia Delaunay's gilt and enameled brooch "Flamenco," produced in 1995 in an edition of 500, for €6,500.