OFF THE BLOCK

We keep you up-todate on the hottest lots under the hammer.

Louis Vuitton LV I (RED) Trainer Prototype

Auctioned by Sotheby’s online for US$44,100.

Designed and signed by Virgil Abloh, the men’s artistic director at Louis Vuitton, this prototype LV Trainer pair of sneakers was auctioned to raise proceeds for the HIV/AIDS charitable organisation (RED). As the first model of what was to eventually become a staple menswear sneaker, the LV Trainer made its debut during Abloh’s spring/summer 2019 show, with nods to nostalgia, basketball shoes and Louis Vuitton house codes. This particular pair has an embossed monogram on white leather, a bright red unicoloured side grid and monogram flowers embedded across the sole.

Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt-Diamonds Straight Flush Ace to Five

Auctioned by Bonhams online for HK$1.2 million.

The star of a highly successful whisky auction that saw 100 per cent of its lots sold, this five-bottle set of Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt-Diamonds Straight Flush comfortably exceeded its pre-auction top estimate of HK$460,000. It was a solid demonstration that whisky collectors’ enthusiasm for the famous Ichiro’s Malt Card Series shows no sign of abating. Running a straight flush from the ace of diamonds to the five of diamonds, the distillation dates ranged between 1986 and

2000, while the single malts were bottled as early as 2007 and as recently as 2012.

Everydays: The First 5000 Days by Beeple

Auctioned by Christie’s online for US$69.3 million.

Measuring 21,069 by 21,069 pixels, this artwork by Mike Winkelmann, known professionally as Beeple, is the first purely digital non-fungible token-based work of art offered by a major auction house. Its sale set the third highest price for a living artist at auction and also achieved the highest price for any lot in any online-only auction. “This is work that has just as much craft, message, nuance and intent as anything made on a physical canvas,” remarked Beeple, “and I am beyond honoured and humbled to represent the digital art community in this historic moment.” The unique artwork is a collage of 5,000 digital images and was minted on 16 February.

Hudson River by Yayoi Kusama

Bidding commences on 12 May through Bonhams in New York.

This 1960 work, which is expected to fetch US$3 million to US$5 million, is one of three paintings and eight works on paper on offer at the special singleowner collection sale, Kusama: The Collection of the Late Dr Teruo Hirose. Gifted by Yayoi Kusama to her lifelong friend and doctor, they are some of the Japanese artist’s earliest recognised works, and are the rarest group of Kusama works from the late 1950s and 1960 to come to auction. Hudson

River (left) and Mississippi River – two of Kusama’s River paintings up for sale – bear an early example of her Infinity Net motif and are considered incredibly rare due to Kusama’s use of the colour red.

Ming Dynasty Blue and White Floral Bowl, Yongle Period

Auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York for US$721,800.

Standing as the epitome of every Chinese art collector’s dream, this exceptionally rare blue and white floral bowl from the Yongle court (1403 to 1424) of the Ming dynasty was originally purchased for US$35 at a Connecticut yard sale last year. Its new owner brought it to Sotheby’s specialists for evaluation, where it was swiftly identified as an outstanding piece of imperial porcelain from the Yongle period. To provide an idea of the bowl’s rarity, its six known companion bowls are mostly held in museum collections across the world, such as the National Palace Museum of Taipei and the

British Museum.

18th-century Huanghuali Games Table

Bidding commences on 13 May through Bonhams in London.

A highlight of Bonhams’ upcoming auction, The H Collection, which features Chinese furniture, archaic bronzes and Japanese art, this exceptionally rare square games table (with an estimate of between £800,000 and £1.2 million) is made of huanghuali wood and dates back to the 18th century. Its rich golden, honey-toned wood is shaped into an ingeniously complex design that belies its apparent simplicity: the table’s removable top conceals a recess for gaming boards such as Chinese backgammon, chess and checkers, along with two cylindrical game piece cups. Games tables were popular during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Femme au Béret Mauve by Pablo Picasso

Bidding commences on 13 May through Bonhams in New York.

This depiction of Pablo Picasso’s muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter, was painted in 1937, the same fruitful year in which he produced Weeping Woman and one of his most famous works,

Guernica. The portrait (which carries an estimate of between US$10 million and US$15 million) is instilled with calmness, sensuality and domestic peace – all qualities that the artist associated with his French lover, who remained with him for over a decade. Its appearance will be highly anticipated, given that the painting has not been on public display since its current owners purchased it from a New York gallery in 1984.