Vasari Art Codex

trending_up market schedule Jan 1, 2026 visibility 4 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

sothebys abu dhabi collectors week results 1234766109

Sotheby's held its inaugural Abu Dhabi Collectors' Week at the St. Regis Island Resort on Saadiyat Island, transforming the venue into a luxury showcase with handbags, diamonds, watches, a non-selling art display worth $500 million, and rare cars. The week culminated in open-air auctions under a full moon, netting $133 million—far exceeding the $17 million from Sotheby's first Middle East luxury sale in Saudi Arabia earlier this year. Highlights included a 1994 McLaren Formula 1 car sold for $25.3 million, a Jane Birkin Hermès handbag that fetched $2.9 million, and a 31.68-karat pink diamond called The Desert Rose that went for $8.8 million. A jewelry and timepieces sale achieved white-glove status, taking $25.4 million.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 10, 2025 visibility 5 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

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.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jan 1, 2026 visibility 4 link 4 artists, 3 galleries

sothebys to unveil 1 b of art and luxury goods during abu dhabi collectors week in december 1234762692

Sotheby's announced that $1 billion worth of fine art and luxury goods will be unveiled during Abu Dhabi Collectors' Week, running from December 2 to 5. The event includes non-selling exhibitions of high-value artworks, such as a Rembrandt drawing and Gustav Klimt's 'Dame mit Fächer,' while luxury items like McLaren racing cars, a Jane Birkin handbag, diamonds, and real estate will be offered at auction or privately, with over $150 million going to auction and $100 million in private sales.

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article news schedule Dec 5, 2025 visibility 6 link 3 artists, 3 galleries

hauser wirth palermo lucas museum morning links 1234765456

Hauser & Wirth is set to open its first Italian location in Palermo, Sicily, after purchasing a major part of the historic Palazzo Forcella De Seta. The neo-gothic palace, which previously hosted Manifesta 12 and housed Galleria Mediterranea, will be renovated with plans for completion by 2030, pending a 60-day public pre-emption period by local government and Italy's Ministry of Culture. Separately, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art announced the departure of chief curator Pilar Tompkins, less than a year after its director and CEO left, amid earlier layoffs; the museum remains on track for a September 2026 opening. Other news includes Laurence Rassel's appointment as director of the Rijksakademie, a record sale of an Elizabethan portrait at Sotheby's, and a Hermès Birkin bag owned by Jane Birkin selling for $2.3 million.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 6, 2025 visibility 2 link 2 galleries

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 10, 2025 visibility 3 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

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 Jul 18, 2025 visibility 4 link 2 galleries

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 3 link 1 artist, 2 galleries

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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trending_up market schedule Dec 5, 2025 visibility 1

birkin bag jane birkin sold sothebys 2 8 million 1234765480

A black leather Hermès Birkin bag previously owned by actress and style icon Jane Birkin sold at Sotheby’s for $2.9 million on December 5 at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort in Abu Dhabi. The bag, known as Le Birkin Voyageur, features an inscription written by Birkin in 2007 for a charity auction supporting the International Federation for Human Rights, along with a sketch of a reclining female nude. It had been in private hands since that auction and was sold as part of a 4-day luxury goods sale. The bag exceeded its estimate of $240,000-$400,000 but fell short of the record $10 million paid for the original Birkin prototype earlier this year.

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