Sotheby's selling rare Virgil Abloh prints to fund scholarship
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"Off-Wisconsin" prints. Photo: Courtesy of Jim Escalante
Proceeds from the sale of limited-edition prints will benefit a scholarship at the late artist and designer Virgil Abloh's alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The big picture: Considered by some as one of the most influential young designers of the 21st century, Abloh often credited his time at UW for shaping his creative side.
- The sale aims to do the same for future students, with proceeds benefiting the Virgil Abloh Scholarship Fund at the university.
Driving the news: The four signed prints will be sold as one lot beginning Tuesday as part of Sotheby's Contemporary Discoveries auction.
- Their estimated sale price is $7,000–$10,000.
Zoom in: The designs were part of Abloh's 2015 #OffWisconsin collaboration that reinterpreted the school's iconic "red shirt."
Backstory: Abloh grew up in Rockford and graduated from UW in 2003 with a degree in civil engineering.
- Abloh rocketed into the fashion world with his luxury streetwear label Off-White in 2013 after studying architecture at IIT in Chicago. Louis Vuitton named him artistic director of menswear in 2018.
- Abloh collaborated with brands like Nike and Ikea, and his designs and art were the subject of the 2019 Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago retrospective "Figures of Speech."
- The designer died of cancer in 2021 at the age of 41.
State of play: Shannon Abloh, Virgil's wife, started the Virgil Abloh Foundation after his death, which funds creative opportunities for young people through mentorship, travel and behind-the-scenes access to museums and other institutions.
What they're saying: "His work demonstrated the power of cross-disciplinary thinking, seamlessly blending design, music, architecture, and culture to challenge conventional boundaries," UW chair in art and professor of printmaking Faisal Abdu'Allah said in a press release.
- "His legacy continues to inspire emerging artists and designers to rethink the relationship between creativity, commerce, and social impact."
What's next: Sotheby's Contemporary Discoveries auction goes live Tuesday and runs through July 14.