In the picturesque village of Pürgg, high above the Ennstal valley and with a population of just 150, time seems to stand still. Austrian poet Peter Rosegger described the idyllic spot as the “cradle of Styria”, and it’s where we discover a restaurant and guesthouse with centuries-old character that is still evident today …

Although we live in a materialistic world, “things” have a surprisingly bad reputation: they are seen as dead and soulless, and inferior to the organic world of plants, animals and humans in every respect. Anyone devoting themselves too enthusiastically to “things” is quickly suspected of being superficial. You might find that somewhat hypocritical considering we all invest a lot of energy in the quest for beautiful and valuable things, and in order to buy them we have to earn that thing called money…

Michael Kovacek is one of the founders of the Viennese auction house im Kinsky and, as he will tell you himself, has dedicated himself “body and soul” to art. We discuss the thrill of the auctions, the passion for collecting and why record prices are always worthy of making the headlines …