A treasured auction: Monaco and Paris saw a whopping sale of Karl Lagerfeld’s estate auction

Much celebrated for his distinctive personal style or what he designed for Chanel and other houses, Karl Lagerfeld is a name synonymous with luxury. Recently, Sotheby’s paid tribute to this genius of a designer with the sale of over thousand lots from his residences in France and Monaco to present an anthology of his personal taste, his life and career.

Divided between Monaco, Paris and Cologne, the collection tells a story of the couturier, the collector, the decorator and the photographer. This was the first time a personal collection from his estate was up for auction since his death in 2019. Monaco and Paris saw a whopping sale of auctions in December 2021 and the third in series will be held in Cologne in March this year.

The December collection came to an extraordinary conclusion bringing the running total for the collection to €18.2 million, attracting almost 1,500 bidders from more than 60 countries. Now the third auction of Lagerfeld’s estate to be held in Cologne includes a selection of works and objects covering various periods and styles, with a focus on early 20th century German art: furniture by architect and designer Bruno Paul, as well as an important set of German ‘advertising’ posters that Lagerfeld collected over 30 years.

An insatiable collector, Karl Lagerfeld created bold interiors throughout this life. Pierre Mothes, vice-president, Sotheby’s France, says ,“After the historic success of the inaugural sale in Monaco, collectors from around the world eagerly pursued Karl Lagerfeld’s objects and drawings, cementing his status as a fashion icon. The ‘Kaiser’ would surely have been touched by the tremendous public success of these sales.”

The two Paris sales featured many important decorative art pieces reflecting Karl Lagerfeld’s passion for con- temporary design from the 2000s onward. Furniture by Marc Newson, Martin Szekely, Gino Sarfatti and Maria Pergay were all sold at prices well in excess of their estimates, reflecting the designer’s innate sense of style, which naturally extended to his private world.

Glasses, mittens and jackets emblematic of the designer’s style and instantly recognisable silhouette were auctioned off, as were objects bearing his likeness. Personal objects and drawings tracing his creative processes and which revealed the man behind the icon, also undoubtedly fascinated col- lectors, with objects revealing his personal connections with friends and family, including his companion of nearly 20 years, Jacques de Bascher, attracting deep interest.

The Parisian auction featured 29 lots by designer Martin Szekely. Lagerfeld was particularly fond of Marc New- son, whose Zenith armchair, executed in 1998 and installed at 8 rue des Saints Pères, sold for €81,900 and the Atmos 561 clock, 2012, created in collaboration with Jaeger-Lecoultre and Baccarat, which doubled its high estimate to realise €27,720.

Drawings by Karl Lagerfeld, from moving sketches of his family and friends to self-portraits often with a touch of humour, featured prominently in the Paris sales. Among the most sought-after works was the por- trait of Jacques de Bascher, Retour de la Vallée des émeraudes, which sold for €163,800 against an estimate of €400-600. Among the portraits, a drawing entitled Café de Flore showing Karl Lagerfeld sporting the famous ponytail that the couturier had adopted since 1976 sold for €94,500 with another work showing him in profile as a cut and pasted paper silhouette, June 1990, achieving €32,760.An anonymous drawing showing the designer ‘wearing’ his acclaimed pet cat Choupette, also sold for €6,500.

The designer’s sketchbooks also triggered major bidding battles for €201,600.Among the standout pieces offered was a black leather Chanel tote bag, 2010, which Karl Lagerfeld carried with him every day. After a heated bid- ding battle, the bag fetched €94,500 – a record price for a Chanel bag. Further pieces from the designer’s wardrobe saw fierce competition, sparking numerous bidding wars for his iconic jackets. Highlights include a black wool Dior jacket, 2008, which far surpassed its estimate making €35,280, a sequin evening jacket by Saint Laurent, 2015, which made five times its estimate selling for €5,292, and a set of 10 pairs of gloves which realised €20,160 over an estimate of €300-500.