“Supreme” objects, luxury and contemporary art: a new collection proposal

Working alongside consignor Ibrahim Itani, founder of Plus, the Canadian streetwear superstore, and expert Byron Hawes, Christie's has put together a Curated selection of the rarest and most coveted collaboration pieces ever produced by Supreme.

The collection begins with the Copyright Boards, the first set made by Supreme in 1998, and continues today with 230 individual skateboards, almost all designs produced by the brand. With a limited production run for the first decks, these iterations are extremely rare and highly collectable. For the past 21 years, Supreme has collaborated with the most famous contemporary artists to use skateboards as a canvas. Christie's sale features the most iconic of these artist boards, including complete sets by John Baldessari, George Condo, Damien Hirst, KAWS, Jeff Koons, Ryan McGuiness, Marilyn Minter, Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, Peter Saville and Christopher Wool, to name a few.

Complementing the extensive offering of limited edition skateboards is a selection of the most iconic and collectible accessories Supreme has ever produced, from Stern Pinball Machine ($30.000-50.000).

The Coleman Mini Bike ($3.000-5.000) to the Fender Guitar ($2.000-3.000).

Louis Vuitton Monogram Malle Courrier 90 Trunk. ($50.000-60.000).

Bryon Hawes, author of DROP and the forthcoming book, Art on Deck: An Exploration of Supreme Skateboards, explains: “Supreme represents a highly crafted collaborative vision of a larger culture. Like Warhol's Brillo Pad "box", these objects are pop art iconography. Skate decks maintain this spirit with the added layer of being physically emblazoned with some of this century's most distinguished artists. Supreme has always managed to blend a number of influences. The curation of this sale with Christie's is very much in line with that as the selection we have chosen presents the essence of Supreme in the cross section of contemporary art, design and collectible accessories ".

Alongside Supreme, the sale features extremely rare bags from Hermès as a matte white Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Birkin 30 with palladium hardware ($40.000-60.000); a limited-edition So Black Birkin 35 calfskin leather with black PVC hardware ($12.000-15.000); and a pink Azalea Swift in Quelle Idole leather with palladium hardware. Also featured are runway pieces from Chanel, including a limited-edition spring/summer 2004 leather clutch ($3.000-4.000); a dark pink design bag, which is inspired by the paper container of milk.

Supreme's transformation from hip, downtown New York skateboard hub to global powerhouse has been nothing short of extraordinary. From humble beginnings in 1994 on then-unfashionable Lafayette Street, Supreme has become ubiquitous around the world, its signature logo a sign of edgy authenticity, cultural diversity and, now more than ever, coveted desirability. Inspired by Barbara Kruger's propaganda art, that logo is the currency for a brand worth over $1 billion.

Cover image: A set of five Ryan McGuiness Pantone skateboards, Supreme, 2000. Estimate: $10,000-15,000. Auction X HYPE, from 26 November to 10 December 2019, Online