Sotheby's Sold Supreme Skateboards

Iconic 20 Year Complete Archive Includes Rare Releases And Collaborations With Big Name Artists

The only complete archive of Supreme skate decks in private hands sold for $800,00 at Sotheby's. Diligently and passionately assembled over decades by collector Ryan Fuller, the archive comprises all 248 Decks produced by the iconic streetwear brand over 20 years from 1998 to 2018.

Supreme, founded by British designer James Jebbia and established in 1994 in New York's Soho neighbourhood, gained a special status among skateboarding connoisseurs with its streetwear-inspired clothing. Starting in 1998, it also began offering quality, limited-series boards designed by bigname artists like Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and Richard Prince.

Sotheby's welcomed fans of Supreme, streetwear, skateboard culture and contemporary art and design to view the entire archive in a public exhibition, then celebrated with a private reception and exhibition of contemporary artist collaboration decks from the collection.

Noah Wunsch, Sotheby's Global Head of e-commerce, commented, “As the only complete archive of Supreme skate decks in private hands, this collection is of singular rarity and importance. We have been overwhelmed by the response we have received form collectors and fans of Supreme, streetwear, skate culture and contemporary art alike, who came out in droves to view the archive in our galleries, on our website, and across

social media. We will continue to present our global clients with a wide spectrum of compelling collection opportunities through our online-only sales platform.”

The archive features collaborations with an impressive number of contemporary artists and artist estates, including two sets featuring Damien Hirst's iconic 'spot' and ‘spin' techniques, both produced in 2009; a set of three decks in collaboration with Rammellzee, part of a collection of hats, t-shirts and backpacks and Supreme's first artist collaboration that also included apparel; a set of three decks based on Jeff Koons' ‘Monkey Train', and a set of three decks featuring George Condo's signature portraiture.

The archive also features two sets that chart Supreme's relationship with Louis Vuitton, from instigator to collaborator. In 2000, Supreme released an unauthorised set of three Louis Vuitton monogram decks, which were recalled after only two weeks when the luxury brand threatened legal action due to copyright infringement. In 2017, with the rise of streetwear as a major fashion inspiration, the two brands collaborated on the Louis Vuitton x Supreme collection that was introduced in Louis Vuitton's Fall Winter 2017 Menswear show. That collection included the Supreme Louis Vuitton Boîte Skateboard Trunk, including a deck, tool kit, trucks, wheels, and shoulder strap, that is another highlight of the present archive.

A 2002 release saw Supreme producing a set of five decks depicting the central portion of Leornado da Vinci's ‘The Last Supper.' A sixth board with an image of Christ on the deck was exclusively released in Japan.