Sotheby’s Launches a Line of Old Masters-Inspired Streetwear as Part of Its Endless Quest to Get Young People to Buy Old Art

Of all the mythical beings depicted in Old Master paintings, the
hype beast wasn’t one of them. But old school is meeting the
Flemish and Dutch schools in a new collection of limited-edition
streetwear produced by Sotheby’s and the style
brand Highsnobiety. 

The collection
of shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies—which will be
released on Highsnobiety’s website on January 20—are emblazoned
with images of art included in Sotheby’s upcoming January Old
Masters auctions. The clothes, priced between €65 ($72) for
t-shirts, €105 ($117) for crewneck sweatshirts, and €125 ($139) for
hoodies, feature Italian, Dutch and Flemish works, from
a 16th-century depiction
skeleton astride a coffin to the serene mythical beauty of Ginevra
Cantofoli’s A Sea-Nymph. The designs will also be
available for purchase at a pop-up store at Selfridges in
London.

At first glance, the hip brand
and august auction house are strange bedfellows. Highsnobiety
focuses largely on street art and skater culture—if they cover
Sotheby’s, it’s most likely to report on a sale of Supreme
skateboards.

But Old Masters might be having
a larger fashion moment—at least, the auction houses hope so.
In 2018, Gucci released an Old Master-inspired
collection, leading Christie’s to declare that Old Masters were
“back in
fashion.”

Meanwhile, this isn’t the first
time Sotheby’s has taken a novel approach to marketing the field.
In late 2018, the auction house partnered with Victoria Beckham on
“The Female Triumphant,” a sale of female master painters, and even
displayed a selection of paintings in Beckham’s Dover Street
store. It has also teamed up with Strokes
drummer Fabrizio Moretti to promote a presentation of work
by an Old Master with the same name.  

David Fischer, Highsnobiety’s
CEO, said the partnership hopes to draw new kinds of collectors to
Sotheby’s— those who “never dreamed of owning this art.” At the
same time, he also enjoys “surprising our audience with
partnerships and collaborations that they would not expect every
day.” 

David Pollack, Sotheby’s senior
vice president and specialist for Old Master paintings, said the
collection is “an opportunity to showcase Old Master paintings as
remarkably modern, graphic works of art that can be enjoyed outside
their mythological or historical context.”

The post Sotheby’s Launches a Line of Old Masters-Inspired
Streetwear as Part of Its Endless Quest to Get Young People to Buy
Old Art appeared first on artnet News.