Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule Dec 10, 2025 visibility 6 link 2 artists

In the bag: Sotheby’s inaugural Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week finds success with Birkins and bling

Sotheby’s inaugural Collectors’ Week in Abu Dhabi (2-5 December) achieved a total of $133.4m across five live auctions held on a beachfront stage. The sale featured luxury items including a Hermès Birkin Voyageur owned by Jane Birkin ($2.9m), a 31.68-carat pink diamond called The Desert Rose ($8.8m), and a Patek Philippe watch set that became the second most valuable watch sold in Sotheby’s history ($11.9m). No art was offered, but the auction house sold 50 items privately, including the world’s largest fancy deep green diamond. The sell-through rate was strong, with only one piece of real estate and a couple of cars unsold, outperforming Sotheby’s earlier Saudi Arabia sale.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 10, 2025 visibility 5 link 4 artists

hermes birkin bag sale sothebys 2666475

The original Le Birkin handbag, crafted by Hermès in 1985 for actress and singer Jane Birkin, sold for €8.5 million ($10 million) at Sotheby's Paris on July 10. The bag, which shows visible wear from decades of use, sparked a 10-minute bidding war among nine buyers and was purchased by a private collector from Japan. It broke records as the most valuable handbag ever sold at auction and the highest-selling fashion item in Europe.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 6, 2025 visibility 3

original prototype jane birkin hermes handbag sothebys 1234744596

Jane Birkin's original Hermès Birkin handbag prototype has been consigned to Sotheby's Paris for sale in July. The all-black leather bag, commissioned in 1984 by then-Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas in collaboration with Birkin, is a one-of-a-kind piece that has been in a private collection in France since 2000. Sotheby's has not set a public estimate, citing its unique status, and will communicate it privately to potential bidders. The bag was exhibited at Sotheby's Paris and Hong Kong, and previously at the Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 18, 2025 visibility 6

birkin bag buyer revealed shinsuke sakimoto 1234747725

Shinsuke Sakimoto, CEO of luxury reseller Valuence Holdings, revealed himself as the buyer of a Hermès Birkin bag that sold at Sotheby’s Paris for €8.6 million ($10 million). The handmade black leather bag, originally commissioned in 1984 for actress Jane Birkin by then-Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas, had been in a private French collection since its last auction in 2000. Sakimoto, previously anonymous, told the Khaleej Times that winning the bag was a personal milestone and a defining moment for his company.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 11, 2025 visibility 7 link 1 artist

Jane Birkin’s original namesake Hermès bag sells for record-breaking €8.6m at Sotheby’s Paris

Sotheby's Paris sold the original Hermès Birkin prototype that belonged to the late actress Jane Birkin for a record-breaking €8.6 million on July 10. The 50-year-old scuffed handbag, which Birkin carried for years, sparked a ten-minute bidding war among nine collectors and ultimately went to a buyer in Japan. The sale far exceeded the previous world record for a handbag at auction, set in 2021.

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