1,000 Unseen Karl Lagerfeld Sketches to Be Auctioned by Sotheby's

Sotheby's is auctioning approximately 1,000 previously unseen sketches by Karl Lagerfeld in an online sale running July 2–8. The drawings, dating from the 1970s until his death in 2019, reveal his approach to color, texture, cut, and silhouette. Auctioneer Pierre Mothes noted that Lagerfeld was a rapid draftsman who reworked ideas by tracing. The sale also includes Lagerfeld's collection of about 500 iPods, fingerless gloves, and other personal effects, all offered without reserve. This is the sixth auction of Lagerfeld's estate since 2021; previous sales in Monaco and Paris exceeded $18 million, and a 2024 auction of his illustrations fetched €1.1 million ($12.5 million). His Paris apartment sold for $10.8 million in 2024, and his villa in Louveciennes for €4.7 million ($5.5 million). Mothes described Lagerfeld as a "planetary icon" whose possessions attract global fan interest.