NIGO, a Japanese entrepreneur best known for his streetwear brand A Bathing Ape (BAPE), returns to Sotheby’s with NIGOLDENEYE® Vol. 1, another compelling sale that presents over 30 artworks and collectibles from his personal collection.
Snapshots from the NIGOLDENEYE® Vol. 1 teaser
NIGO at his headquarters surrounded by some of his collection
NIGO houses his archive and collection in the basement
NIGO has collaborated with many artists, including KAWS
Throughout his career over the last three decades, the pioneering entrepreneur collaborated with artists such as KAWS, Futura and Stash prior to street culture entering the mainstream, and furthermore engineered game-changing crossovers between street art, pop iconography and fashion brands long before collaboration was a common mode of creation.
KAWS｜Kimpsons Series｜Estimate: HK$500,000 - 700,000 (two works)
KAWS｜The KAWS Album｜Estimate: HK$6,000,000 - 8,000,000
Album cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Highlights include three works from The Kimpsons, KAWS’ famous reworking series of The Simpsons. The KAWS Album that inspired by The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover is estimated at HK$6m-8m; two works that respectively depict Homer Simpson and Marge Simpson with KAWS’ signature XX eyes are estimated at HK$500,000-700,000.
Bapsta X KAWS｜Bapesta FS-029 KAWS Chompers｜Estimate: HK$1,000-1,500 (for both yellow/green and green/black)
Bapsta X KAWS｜Bapesta FS-029 KAWS Chompers｜Estimate: HK$1,000-1,500 (for both yellow/green and green/black)
Some items from the collection will be offered at an attractive price point. For example, the highly sought after Bapsta X KAWS, Bapesta FS-029 KAWS Chompers (yellow/green and green/back) are estimated at HK$1,000-1,500 for both pairs.
KAWS｜Untitled (Astro Boy) ｜Estimate: HK$600,000 - 800,000
Another notable lot is a set of five figures produced in 2002 by OriginalFake. It is one of the earliest unique prototypes of KAWS’ COMPANION sculptures and it was hand painted by the artist for a show organized by NIGO.
NIGO had partnered with Sotheby’s in 2014 for NIGO® Only Lives Twice, in which all 250 lots on fashion, street art, design furniture and luxury goods were all sold. The sale fetched HK$35m (US$4.5m), doubling the pre-sale high estimate. The return of NIGO with NIGOLDENEYE® Vol. 1 will surely excite many young collectors and art lovers when the collection goes up on sale at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on 1 April 2019.
Other highlights
Futura｜Untitled (Pointman) ｜Estimate: HK$80,000 - 120,000
Stash｜Four Pack｜Estimate: HK$50,000-70,000
Auction details
Auction house: Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Sale: NIGOLDENEYE® Vol. 1
Venue: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Viewings:
- Shanghai｜2-3 March 2019
- Beijing｜5-6 March 2019
- Taipei｜16-17 March 2019
- Hong Kong｜29 March - 1 April 2019
Auction date: 1 April 2019｜6:30pm