Virgil Abloh: Figures Of Speech

Since the start of his career, the multihyphenate creative Virgil Abloh reshaped what an artist’s practice could be. Best known as the creative director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection and for his own Milan-based fashion line, Off-White, Abloh also made waves in the world of art, music, architecture and product, furniture and graphic design. Collaboration was at the heart of his practice, leading him to draw inspiration from a dizzying array of sources while also connecting makers of all disciplines. Celebrate the work of this internationally-lauded visionary in Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech. Created to accompany his retrospective exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, this comprehensive compendium is the authoritative guide to Abloh’s genre-bending oeuvre. The book begins with an essay from editor and exhibit curator Michael Darling, which traces Abloh’s journey to becoming one of the brightest and most influential creative talents of our time, and an illuminating interview with the late Abloh himself from architects Rem Koolhaas and Samir Bantal. Following this, you’ll find a series of full-color plates depicting everything from high fashion, streetwear, furniture and visual art to stage designs, ceramics, sculptures and album artwork, all created by Abloh, as well as essays from five creatives that further explore the many creative contributions Abloh left behind and the cultural shift that he caused as a black man in the world of luxury fashion. Many of these works can also be found in a neatly-organized index, which offers an all-encompassing look at his many creative endeavors. Finally an archive of images from Abloh’s personal files offer an inside look at the working files, presentations, artboard studies, screenshots, playlists, notes, behind-the-scenes photos and invoices from different projects and eras from Abloh’s career, painting a fascinating picture of his process and unending desire to create. A stunning tribute to an icon of the art world, this book is sure to be a source of inspiration to creatives of any medium.

•9.25″W x 1.75″D x 12.25″H

•by Virgil Abloh
•various photographers
•clothbound hardcover
•496 pages