Christian Louboutin exhibition at Palais de la Porte DoréeChristian Louboutin exhibition at Palais de la Porte DoréeChristian Louboutin exhibition at Palais de la Porte DoréeChristian Louboutin exhibition at Palais de la Porte Dorée

Christian Louboutin exhibition at Palais de la Porte Dorée

From 26 February 2020, the Palais de la Porte Dorée will present a major exhibition devoted to the work and creativity of Christian Louboutin, the internationally renowned footwear designer and key figure in the fashion world. Designed as an invitation to discover Christian Louboutin’s rich universe, the exhibition will explore every facet of his multi-referential work, in an institution that has played an important role in inspiring his vocation. From the beginning, Christian Louboutin infused his designs with a great wealth of motifs and colours inspired by his love of art and different cultures.

The entire exhibition is a challenge: how to give a sense of the passage of time without stopping it, how to show the designer’s effervescence without steri- lizing it, how to reveal what constituted the network of such vital inspirations and friendships? Christian Louboutin chose a generous approach, reflecting his personality, an imagination and a freedom rooted in a sound knowledge of the world, of art and fashion, a voyage in which inventiveness, emotion and know- how, taste for showmanship and sense of humor are never dissociated. The unprecedented space that Christian Louboutin occupies in the world of contemporary fashion is also attributable to the fact that his work has its roots in popular culture, in the noblest sense of the word. Through metonymy, in cinema, and music, Louboutins are now the quintes- sential shoes, favored by all sexes, genders and ori- gins, via the Nudes series. A child of the Palace (the iconic Parisian nightclub in the late 70s and early 80s), Christian Louboutin connected his work and his name very early on to inclusive and positive figures, athletes or musicians, as illustrated by the famous photo on the cover of the New York Post in memory of Aretha Franklin: “Going in style, dressed in peace: Fire-red Louboutins, gold-plated coffin, three cos- tume changes.”