Today marks the opening of “Art & Sole” at the Bass Museum in Miami. This exhibit by Jane Weitzman, which will run until April 10th, features Fantasy Art shoes.
Since opening the doors of its flagship store in 1996, luxury shoe brand Stuart Weitzman has showcased footwear commissioned by artists, designers and craftsmen from around the world. The most inventive of these shoes are featured in “Art & Sole,” now on view in the Bass Museum of Art’s bassX gallery in the Miami Beach Regional Library.
These fantasy shoes are remarkable for their imaginative construction and elaborate adornment. The shoes are constructed from unexpected materials like bronze, ceramic, wire, Plexiglas, or cardboard — as in the case of Robert Steele’s Corrugated Curves, VI. Other shoes are noteworthy for their surfaces, embellished with feathers, gems, fresh flowers and cake frosting. Joan Klimo, who worked in fabric and mixed media, transformed shoes into whimsical soft sculptures.
“Art & Sole” was curated by Jane Gershon Weitzman who was Executive Vice President of Stuart Weitzman and first Vice President of Stuart Weitzman Retail. “I looked at the [store’s] windows as variations on a theme,” said Weitzman. “I tried to find artists who worked in as many different materials and styles as possible.”
