An enquiring mind: Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection
From June 1 to September 1, the Wallace Collection and Manolo Blahnik present an enquiring mind: Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection. The exhibition features a personally selected edit of shoes designs from Blahnik's private archives set amongst the masterpieces of the Wallace Collection. This exciting venture juxtaposes an icon from the world of contemporary fashion with Wallace's outstanding collection, which has been an inspiration to artists since it opened to the public in 1900.
Introduction
Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection
Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection
Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection
Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection
Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection
The exhibition places Blahnik's exquisite designs in the intimate context of the Wallace Collection alongside the paintings, sculptures, porcelains and furniture that inspired his enquiring mind, leading to a dialogue between the old and the new, the art and the craft, the real and the fantasy. Alongside the exhibition, a series of panel talks further explore the themes which permeate Manolo Blahnik's designs and the works contained within the Wallace Collection, including; the Classical influence in art and design; the interior world; Goya and shoes; fashion and art; fashion and power and the collector.
Exhibition narrative
Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection
Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection
Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection
Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection
Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection
The Wallace Collection has long been a source of creative inspiration to Manolo Blahnik, one of the world's most influential footwear designers, thanks to his constant intellectual search for the new and the beautiful, in art and life, literature and film, and in both past and present, with an artiste's eye for visual detail. His shoes evoke a world of beauty, and echo the qualities of skill and creativity found in the art. He's orchestrated a team of skilled artisans to turn his initial sketches into 3-dimensional objects in luxurious materials. He's worked with the curators to select masterpieces from his archive which help lead the visitor on an inspiring journey of enquiry through the Wallace Collection's great works. The nine galleries used for the exhibition are spaces where Blahnik has experienced the inspiration, passion and emotion of great art which has fuelled his own creativity. Here we learn about the rise of the public spectacle in eighteenth-century France, the Comedia Dell'Arte and the performing arts; we admire the collecting passions of neo-classical connoisseurs and the revival fashions of antiquity; and we experience the erotic power of Boucher and Fragonard.
By Sarah Sergent
Juillet 2019
