Sotheby’s to Sell Rare Virgil Abloh Screenprints for Wisconsin Scholarship Fund
A rare set of four red screenprints by Virgil Abloh (1980–2021) is heading to auction, with proceeds earmarked for a scholarship fund at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The works, made in 2015 as part of Abloh’s Off-Wisconsin collaboration with his alma mater, are being offered in Sotheby’s Contemporary Discoveries online sale, where bidding opens July 7 with an estimate of $7,000 to $10,000.
The prints, numbered four from an edition of ten, were shown at Sotheby’s New York headquarters in the Breuer building before the sale opened. Their lettering and text echo Abloh’s 2015 redesign of The Red Shirt™, the university’s signature sports T-shirt, underscoring the designer’s habit of moving fluidly between fashion, graphic language, and institutional identity.
Abloh’s career bridged streetwear, luxury fashion, and contemporary art with unusual force. Trained as an architect, he became Kanye West’s creative director, launched Off-White in 2013, and in 2018 was named artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, the first Black person to hold that post. He also collaborated with Takashi Murakami on gallery and museum projects, and his work has continued to circulate across the market in forms ranging from prints and custom Nike sneakers to sculpture.
That breadth has translated into a varied auction record. Sotheby’s senior adviser Simon Shaw said Abloh has “an established track record as a printmaker,” noting that examples have sold for more than $25,000. He added that the present set has never before been offered at auction, making it a notable opportunity for collectors.
The sale is being organized with the Virgil Abloh Foundation, led by Shannon Abloh, and its educational purpose is central to the project. Athiththan Selvendran, the foundation’s chief creative officer, said Abloh believed education was “one of the most powerful platforms for expanding creative possibility.” He added that the foundation’s scholarship work is intended to “open doors, break barriers and foster a more equitable and inclusive industry” for underrepresented young creatives, cultural leaders, and changemakers.
The Wisconsin scholarship will join a growing portfolio that already includes support for Black undergraduate students in the United States and Black British students at the Royal College of Art in London. For Madison, the sale links a collectible object to a longer philanthropic arc — one that ties Abloh’s legacy to access, education, and the next generation of designers and artists.
