The myriad forms of art that can be found on Artfacts are understandably diverse; from the traditional modes of painting and sculpture, to photography, video and installation, to design, performance, sound art, and fashion.
As our understanding of art is constantly shifting, the question as to where it’s boundaries exist consistently arises. Where that boundary lies, depends entirely on who you ask. In our case, Artfacts data is built on exhibitions, so as a general rule for us: if it’s in an exhibition, then it’s art.
Today, we’re taking a small interlude from the more classical confines of art, and stepping into the world of shoe fashion. Let us take a look at three designers: Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin and a special mention for Alexander McQueen.
Christian Louboutin
The shoes with the iconic red sole. We’ve had 30 years of this French designer’s divine shoes, which he initially made to “make women feel confident and empowered” (We just won’t mention how painful stiletto heels can be to wear). Worth discovering is the exhibition Fetish, a fascinating collaboration with film director David Lynch, at Moscow´s Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. Lynch too, is also in our records; with an impressive 123 exhibitions listed. The surprises never cease.
Manolo Blahnik
The beloved Spanish designer Blahnik has been a leader in the shoe industry for the last 50 years. A certain Carrie Bradshaw’s love for his shoes in the turn of the century television show Sex and the City, ensured renewed admiration for a new generations to follow. Both Blahnik and Louboutin were featured in the exhibition, S.h.o.e.s. which focused on women’s shoes from 1900-2014.
Alexander McQueen
A fashion icon gone too soon. Unlike Louboutin and Blahnik, whose focus is the shoe, McQueen did it all: fashion, art and theatre rolled into one. He lands himself in this shoe-centric newsletter for his creation of the infamous Armadillo boot, which drew adoration and abhorrence alike.
Artfacts has at least 20 shows listed and when using our Trends chart you can see McQueens artistic prominence remains stable, even 12 years after his tragic death. His truly stunning posthumous 2011 exhibition Savage Beauty, broke visitation records at both the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in 2011 and again in 2015 at the V&A.
The infamous designers on Artfacts continue with the likes of Salvatore Ferragamo (1898-1960), Valentino (born 1932), or Vivienne Westwood (born 1941) and so much more.
May this inspire you to use Artfacts to take a journey through a beautiful, inspiring and fashionable world next to the likes of the Richters, Warhols and Picassos that we are all very familiar with.
There are also incredible up-and-coming fashion and shoe designers, not yet exhibited and therefore not yet in our database, but we can’t wait till they are.
Let’s make history happen.
The Artfacts Team