The final act: Karl Lagerfeld's collection is auctioned at Sotheby's Cologne
It's quiet on the premises of Sotheby's in Vienna. The awe floats along a bit here, when one is allowed to take a close look at the gloves of the late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died in 2019, lying behind display cases. L'Officiel Austria had the opportunity to get glimpses here that are reserved for only a few.
Velvet slippers are set up next to them, prints from the 1920s that the fashion maestro collected and distributed in his homes hang on the walls, as do his portraits, which were made by modern artists.
Two parts of the budget have already been auctioned. In each case with incredible sales success, which far exceeded expectations. The fact that the objects, blazers by Saint Laurent, Christian Dior & Co are probably united here for the last time before they start their journey to new owners wrapped in tissue paper, makes it nostalgic.
It is the last breath of one of the most famous fashion designers of the modern age that one has before one. A selected collection that reflects a human life that consisted of a public persona and discreet private life. Karl Lagerfeld very much had the latter. This can be seen, for example, in two of his drawings, which show his partner Jacques de Bascher, who died in 1989, once lost in thought and smoking, and once with the famous Italian fashion journalist Anna Piaggi. "Anna et Jacques au Louvre" from 1985 documents Karl Lagerfeld's private impressions, which in the loud hype surrounding him only give the über-designer a new dimension through the silence of his objects.
A dimension that is now available for purchase online and offline at Sotheby's 3rd auction season in Cologne.
Dates for the Karl Lagerfeld Estate Sale III in Cologne (2022)
- 29 April - 6 May 2022 - KARL, Karl Lagerfeld's Estate Online III
- 5 May 2022 - KARL, Karl Lagerfeld's Estate III, Evening Sale
- 5 May 2022 - KARL, Karl Lagerfeld's Estate III, Day Sale