Brooklyn Museum lauds Virgil Abloh’s splendid, too-short career

Virgil Abloh (Rockford, Illinois, 1980–2021, Chicago, Illinois). ‘dollar a gallon’ II, 2019. Mixed media, 11ft 2 1⁄2in by 68.75in by 19.5in (341.63 by 174.63 by 49.53cm). Courtesy of Gymnastics Art Institute & Virgil Abloh Securities. Photo: © Gymnastics Art Institute
Virgil Abloh (1980–2021). ‘dollar a gallon’ II, 2019. Mixed media, 11ft 2 1⁄2in by 68.75in by 19.5in (341.63 by 174.63 by 49.53cm). Courtesy of Gymnastics Art Institute & Virgil Abloh Securities. Photo: © Gymnastics Art Institute

NEW YORK – The Brooklyn Museum presents Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech,” a sweeping exhibition tracing two decades of the late artist and designer’s visionary work, currently on view and running through January 29, 2023. “Figures of Speech” is the first museum exhibition devoted to Abloh and was originally developed by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The Brooklyn Museum presentation features important objects from his multifaceted career, including collaborations with artist Takashi Murakami, musician Kanye West and architect Rem Koolhaas; material from his fashion label Off-White; and designs from Louis Vuitton, where he served as the first Black menswear artistic director until his death in November 2021.

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Virgil Abloh Louis Vuitton aims for $100K price at Heritage, May 1

Louis Vuitton SS21 Virgil Abloh malle courrier lozine 110 steamer trunk, est. $80,000-$100,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions
Louis Vuitton SS21 Virgil Abloh malle courrier lozine 110 steamer trunk, est. $80,000-$100,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions
Limited-edition Louis Vuitton SS21 Virgil Abloh malle courrier lozine 110 steamer trunk, est. $80,000-$100,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions

DALLAS — On May 1, during its Spring Luxury Accessories Signature event, Heritage Auctions will offer bidders the opportunity to own a Louis Vuitton SS21 Virgil Abloh malle courrier lozine 110 steamer trunk – a first for the auction house. The trunk carries an estimate of $80,000-$100,000. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Virgil Abloh-designed sneakers race to $25.3M at NYC charity auction

One of the 200 pairs of Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ sneakers designed by the late Virgil Abloh and offered at Sotheby’s New York on February 9. The sale totaled $25.3 million, well in excess of its $3 million high estimate. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s
One of the 200 pairs of Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ sneakers designed by the late Virgil Abloh and offered at Sotheby’s New York on February 9. The sale totaled $25.3 million, well in excess of its collective $3 million high presale estimate. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s

NEW YORK – In a highly anticipated auction that marked the first-ever release of the Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ sneakers and Louis Vuitton pilot case created by the late Virgil Abloh, the 200-lot sale achieved a total of $25.3 million — more than eight times the auction’s overall $3 million high estimate — setting multiple new benchmarks, including the highest known public records for the most valuable sneaker and fashion auctions ever staged, and the most valuable charity auction at Sotheby’s in nearly 10 years. Proceeds from the sale will benefit The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, which, in partnership with the Fashion Scholarship Fund, supports the education of academically promising students of Black, African American or African descent.

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