Superstar designer Karl Lagerfeld has died at the age of 85, his fashion label Chanel confirmed on Tuesday. The announcement came just weeks after the man known as the "Kaiser" in the industry did not appear at shows during Paris Haute Couture week for Chanel, which he had led since 1983. Just last week, his own fashion line Karl Lagerfeld was still announcing new design collaborations. German-born Lagerfeld was artistic director of three separate brands, Italy's Fendi, France's Chanel -- the world's richest label -- and his eponymous line. With his powdered white pony tail, black sunglasses and starched high-collared white shirts, the great friend and rival of Yves Saint Laurent was as instantly recognisable as his celebrity clients. German designer Karl Lagerfeld,

Phillips announced highlights from the upcoming London Sales of 20th Century & Contemporary Art. The Evening Sale, taking place on 7 March, will offer 29 lots of Modern, Post-War, and Contemporary Art. Works by Gerhard Richter, Martin Kippenberger, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jean-Michel Basquiat will lead the sale. The Day Sale on 8 March will be comprised of 135 lots, including works by Sean Scully, KAWS, Rudolf Stingel, and Anish Kapoor. Rosanna Widén, Senior Specialist and Head of Evening Sale, “A year after Phillips’ most successful auction in company history, the March Sales of 20th Century & Contemporary Art bring together a strong and diverse group of artworks that encompass the very best of the artistic movements from the past seven decades. The auction is led by a strong German section and boasts an impressive showing of African American art, including a painting from the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Works by blue-c

Sotheby’s and Miss Porter’s School unveiled the full sale contents of By Women, For Tomorrow’s Women – the first-ever all-women artist benefit auction at a major auction house, which will precede the bi-annual Contemporary Curated sale on 1 March in New York. Over the course of several months, 40 pieces by 38 pioneering women artists have been donated to create this distinct offering of modern and contemporary works, with full proceeds to support financial aid that enables emerging female leaders to attend Miss Porter’s School and go on to shape a changing world. Presented alongside the live auction on 1 March, additional works from By Women, For Tomorrow’s Women will be offered as part of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Online auction, open for bidding from 22 February – 7 March. All 40 works will be on

Prized by kings and queens for centuries and across civilisations, coveted by tycoons and moguls of the 20th century, exceptional large diamonds have become the ultimate collectibles for modern day connoisseurs. This spring, a spectacular 88.22-carat, D Colour, Flawless, Type Ila, oval brilliant diamond, perfect according to every critical criterion, will lead Sotheby’s Hong Kong Sale of Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite on 2 April 2019 (est. HK$88 - 100 million / US$11.2 - 12.7 million). This is one of only three oval diamonds of over 50 carats to appear at auction in living memory, and the largest to be auctioned in over five years. Patti Wong, Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, said: “When you think that one ton of mined earth yields less than a carat of diamond, and that high quality diamonds over 10 carats are a rarity, the discovery of a 242-carat rough, of gem quality and exceptional size, is nothing

Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced on Monday that an island penal colony housing 600 inmates will be converted into a cultural and scientific center. The four Islas Marias islands lie 120-kilometers (75 miles) off the northwest coast of Mexican state Nayarit. The largest of those, Isla Maria Madre, has housed a prison since 1905 in which inmates, some of whom live with their families, are free to roam, though not leave. "The island will be converted into a center for the arts, culture and the study of the environment, nature, flora and fauna," said Lopez Obrador, known by his initials AMLO, during a morning press conference. The Islas Marias inmates are not considered dangerous and 200 of them will