Karl Lagerfeld’s first estate auction fetches $13.5 MILLION – including $1.33m for three cars, $22k for a sculpture of his CAT, Choupette, and $54k for five pairs of fingerless gloves
- ‘KARL, Karl Lagerfeld’s Estate Part I’ with Sotheby’s Monaco closed on Monday, bringing in about four times as much as the 582 lots were expected to fetch
- Nearly 1,500 potential bidders in 58 countries registered ahead of the auction and outbid estimates on almost every items
- Highlights included three Rolls Royces for €369,450 ($415,398.50) to €436,000 ($490,225) each and a portrait of Lagerfeld by fellow designer Gianni Versace for €94,500 ($106,252)
- Also bought were another portrait of Lagerfeld by Takashi Murakami for €289,800 ($325,842), as well as Yves Saint Laurent jackets, Dior and Goyard luggage, furniture, silverware, and more art
- A second estate sale has begun online and will include live auctions in Paris on December 14 and 15, while a third will take place in Cologne, Germany in March 2022
- Lagerfeld was creative director for Chanel from 1982 until his death on February 19, 2019
A portion of late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld’s estate has been sold at auction this week, bringing in about €12 million euros ($13.5 million) total for items that included three luxury cars, vintage furniture, fashion designs, and several pieces of art by Lagerfeld himse.
An auction titled ‘KARL, Karl Lagerfeld’s Estate Part I’ with Sotheby’s Monaco closed on Monday, bringing in about four times as much as the 582 lots were expected to fetch.
According to WWD, nearly 1,500 potential bidders in 58 countries registered ahead of the auction and outbid estimates on almost every items.
Highlights included three Rolls Royces for €369,450 ($415,398.50) to €436,000 ($490,225) each, a sculpture of his beloved cat Choupette for €20,160 ($22,667), a portrait of Lagerfeld by fellow designer Gianni Versace for €94,500 ($106,252), another portrait of Lagerfeld by Takashi Murakami for €289,800 ($325,842), and a lot of five Chanel fingerless gloves for €47,880 ($53,834).
Other items included Yves Saint Laurent jackets, Dior and Goyard luggage, a Jeff Koons sculpture, chandeliers, silverware, chairs, tables, a piano, and lamps, all bringing in thousands apiece.
A portion of late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld’s estate has been sold at auction this week, bringing in about €12 million euros ($13.5 million)
The auction, the first of three, included two Rolls Royce Phantoms and one Rolls Royce Cullinan, which sold for €369,450 ($415,398.50) to €436,000 ($490,225) each
A statue of Lagerfeld’s beloved pet cat Choupette, created by artist Joana Vasconcelos was only expected to fetch €5,000 to €7,000 – instead, it sold for €20,160 ($22,697)
The auction also has several piece of art, including portraits of Lagerfeld himself – like this one, by Takashi Murakami, which Fetched €289,800 ($326,277) (more than double the high end estimate of €120,000)
Several pairs of designer jackets with Lagerfeld’s signature fingerless gloves were up for grabs, including a Dior Homme Black Wool and Multi Colored Stitching Jacket that went for €65,520 ($73,767), left, and another Dior Homme jacket that went for €44,100 ($49,650), right. Both were only expected to bring in a few thousand
Several of the items, including this portrait of Lagerfeld by fellow designer Gianni Versace, seem to have been hugely undervalued. Though it was estimated to fetch a few hundred, this sold for €94,500 ($106,394)
A few lots of fingerless gloves, which Lagerfeld wore often, hit the auction block. One that was only expected to sell for €1,000 to €2,000 (pictured right) went for €22,680 ($25,534)
‘Collectors, fashionistas and long-standing admirers of Karl Lagerfeld’s unique legacy and style came together this weekend, physically and virtually, to express their appreciation for one of the world’s greatest designers,’ Pierre Mothes, vice president of Sotheby’s France, said in a statement.
‘There was an electric atmosphere for this incredible first sale, which saw explosive bidding, with buyers fighting hard for everything from Karl’s drawings to the art he chose to surround himself with, as well as many of his personal belongings.’
Lagerfeld, who was creative director for Chanel from 1982 until his death on February 19, 2019, certainly ammassed a number of priceless objects over the years.
‘I find the joy of collecting, the fun of hunting for objects, the exciting thing,’ he told WWD years ago. ‘But once I [win] it, I lose interest. I don’t want to be a curator living in a museum.’
Monday’s auction was just the first of three. The second is set to run with an online sale from December 6 to 16, with live auctions in Paris on December 14 and 15.
A third is scheduled to take place in Cologne, Germany — Lagerfeld was born in Hamburg — in March 2022.
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A custom cardboard shoe scraper bearing the name of Lagerfeld’s cat Choupette – which may have still had dirt from his shoes on it – sold for €1,008 ($1,134)
The haul features a large collection of art, including a portrait of Lagerfeld by John Baldessari for €16,380 ($18,441), left, and a self-portrait by Lagerfeld himself for €107,100 ($120,580), right)
A gorgeous fan designed by Lagerfeld had an estimated price of €200 to €300 but sold for a whopping €81,900 ($92,208)
Some of the items included workbooks and sketchbooks. The collection pictured left sold for €151,200 ($170,231), while the ones picture right went for €189,000 ($212,789)
This Yves Saint Laurent Paris Black Velvet Zebra Jacket sold for €35,280 ($39,720)
Other pieces were a Jeff Koons Dom Pérignon Balloon Venus (right), which sold for €37,800 ($42,557), and an Armand-Albert Rateau Mirror from 1921 that sold for €50,400 ($56,743)
A few sets of silverware were up for grabs, like this Jean Després Flatware service, circa 1950, which fetched €23,940 ($26,953)
A Chanel Cruise Trophy from May 10, 2010 (left) sold for €78,120 ($87,952), while a Figurine Tokidoki x Karl Lagerfeld Mr. Black & White (right) sold for €11,970 ($13,476). Similar ines can be purchased for hundreds on secondhand sites
One bidder paid €63,000 ($70,938) for this Louis Süe et André Mare Piano and stool, circa 1921
Art was a top seller, fetching thousands apiece. One piece of two ladies of high society (left) sold for €37,800 ($42,563), while a five-page letter addressed to ‘Karl’ (right) sold for €52,920 ($59,588)
Art lovers had their pick, like this Konstantin Grcic Volumes collection from 2018 that sold for €63,000 ($70,938)
A living room set – a Louis Süe et André Mare sofa and pair of armchairs – from 1920 went for €113,400($127,689)
There were a few chandeliers up for grabs, like this Armand Albert Rateau Ceiling light, circa 1925 (left), for €47,880 ($53,913), and a Christian Lava for Terziani (right) for €88,200 ($99,314)
While it appears rather basic, this Maarten Van Severen Bakelite desk from 2006 sold for €18,900 ($21,281)
Many people wanted a piece of Lagerfeld’s art, like a set of three sketches (left) that sold for €11,340 ($12,768), and a piece called Femme à sa fenêtre (right) dated 1949 that sold for €81,900 ($92,220)
Some seemed to simply want to sit where Lagerfeld has sat, like in this Louis Süe et André Mare Sofa, which came with armchairs and sold for €40,320 ($45,400)
A Louis Süe et André Mare Carpet, circa 1925, sold for €37,800 ($42,563), while a Paul Iribe Table lamp, circa 1920, went for €126,000 ($141,877)
This Lagerfeld drawing of a Bal dress inscribed ‘Gest bein Ball Altenevyl’ fetched €60,480 ($68,101)
A Gaetano Pesce UP5, La Mama armchair, designed in 1969, sold for €5,670 ($6,384); a hammered metal gong sold for €30,240 ($34,050)
This vintage blue ceramic set brought in €47,880 ($53,913)
More sketches from Lagerfeld: One of Jacques de Bascher in a raincoat sold for €44,100 ($49,657); one titled ‘Les trois muses Inès, Anna et Vicky’ sold for €201,600 ($227,003)
A silver-plated oval box monogrammed KL fetched €42,480 ($47,832)
Three more sketches of shoes sold for €8,190 ($9,222); while a letter and telegram to Lagerfeld from 1972 sold for €40,320 ($45,400)
A set of four five-light silver candlesticks ended up selling for €138,600 ($156,064)
This piece by Lagerfeld, called ‘The art of accommodating leftover fur,’ from 1954, sold for €47,880 ($53,913)
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