Christian Louboutin Exhibition(iste)

For Christian Louboutin, “a shoe has so much more to offer than just to walk”. The fashion designer known for his over-the-top

footwear with the red soles, Louboutin was inspired to create a line of high heels after a visit to the Museum of African and Oceanian Arts. Here he observed a sign forbidding patrons to wear high heels because of the delicate mosaic tile floor.

Inspired by the museum in the 12^th arrondissement where he lived, Louboutin used motifs, architecture, color, Indian and Egyptian movies even the iridescent fish in the museum’s aquarium to interpret this multi-cultural neighborhood in his designs. Extended to January 3, 2021 the exhibit at the Palais de la Dorée is the backdrop for the Exhibition(iste) tracing thirty years of his designs.

This is a fun exhibit full of music in each room, lots to see and read about. A vague attempt at remembering Andy Warhol’s Flowers series, led to the creation of Le Pensée shoe in 1993. Not only did it come in a variety of colors but the red nail polish covering the black sole became his signature. From Marie Antoinette to Cinderella to the bowling ball in the shoe, your imagination will run away with Mr. Louboutin’s creative process. Not too long ago, I had no idea who this designer was, now I have no doubts. One day, I would love to have a pair of his shoes on my feet.

The exhibition themes are his early years, the treasure room, nudes, the workshop videos, a harmless salon worthy of a mischievous but conservative English granny (or so it seems at first glance) and the Bhutanese theatre. “A Reverie” begins with Biographie, which throws light on Mr. Louboutin’s early life and takes us into a dreamworld of projections. The fetish theme is a collaboration between Christian Louboutin and filmmaker and photographer, David Lynch. The final section is an imaginary museum where he pays tribute to the artists who inspired him.

Download the English language press kit for more detailed information about the exhibit.

Louboutin Retrospective Palais de la Doree

Christian Louboutin Makes Shoes l’Exhibition(iste)

The Granny Room Christian Louboutin Retrospective Paris

” L’Exhibition[niste] is a title that came to me quite quickly. It is a play on the idea of an exhibit and the act of exhibitionism. An exhibit, meaning to expose or display to the public and exhibitionism as drawing attention to oneself…. I reveal a lot of myself, of my inspirations, of my creative processes in this exhibition and I wanted this to be reflected in the title.” Christian Louboutin

Entry to the Palais de la Porte Dorée, built for a 1931 colonial exhibition, its facade covered in bas-relief sculpture

Exterior of Palais de la Porte Dorée and tables for exterior dining

Opening of the exhibit with high heel shoe and red line through it. His life work began with a similar sign forbidding stiletto high heels in the museum

Windows specially designed for the exhibition; Maison du Vitrail, Paris under the direction of the master glass- maker Emmanuelle Andrieux

Mackeral Shoe (soulier Maqureau) one of his first; iridescent fish in the aquarium inspired him

Alu Salmon shoe, Christian Louboutin tanned salmon skin and aluminium foil

Le Pensées shoes were the first with red nail polish on their black soles.

Cinderella shoe made in collaboration with Disney

A sample of the Marie Antoinette shoe

Akenaton for the MET opera opening in New York 2019

Cagouletta resembles a Mexican wrestling mask found in the “Suggestions & Projections” corridor of the exhibit

Sample board in the five steps to completion of a Louboutin

Interior of the Bhutanese-designed theatre prototype. Two hologram shows are presented: a step tease artist and a street performer (one choreographic, the other gymnastic/athletic)

Christian Louboutin’s life in photos

The “Granny Room” full of suggestive shoe sculptures, wallpaper, curtain designs. Stéphane Bern takes us on a tour

Vase from 1930, Nus aux gazelles, when it was part of the Museum of African and Oceanian Arts where he visited as a pre-teen

The sign that impressioned Louboutin between 10 and 12 to work with heels

Louboutin’s Love Shoe for Princess Diana 1992. He designed this shoe after seeing a photograph of her alone in front of the Taj Mahal. She would always be loved he thought.