Christian Louboutin Exhibition in Monaco

The major Christian Louboutin exhibition, L'Exhibition[niste], returns in a new version and is the major summer event at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco from July 9 to August 28, 2022. This chapter II is devoted to the work and the imagination of Christian Louboutin, shoe designer and key figure in the world of fashion, who drew many inspirations in the Principality. Christian Louboutin, L'Exhibition[niste], Chapitre II redesigned by its curator Olivier Gabet, (Director of the Museum of Decorative Arts), offers the public new perspectives on his work in a spectacular scenography which extends over 2000 m².

It unveils unpublished works related to the Monegasque inspirations of the creator as well as new collaborations.

"When Monaco organizes exhibitions, they are spaces of freedom because of the places that host them, which can be transformed at will. At the Grimaldi Forum, I saw Bacon and Giacometti, exhibitions conceived completely differently, with a freedom in their conceptions and their narrations which allowed me to reimagine my exhibition without any constraint. Christian Louboutin Christian Louboutin forged a special relationship with Monaco from the 1990s, inspired from then on by the extraordinary proliferation of Monegasque life, by the singular history of the Principality with artists and the entertainment world, as well as by the richness of the collections of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco and the New National Museum of Monaco. Far from a classic retrospective, the itinerary of the exhibition has been conceived as a joyful odyssey through three decades of overflowing creativity, imbued with curiosity for all cultures and all arts.

At the heart of the exhibition, the room of the "Imaginary Museum" brings together over 300m² objects from Christian Louboutin's personal pantheon and heritage and artistic works borrowed from public and private collections, including those of Monegasque museums. It explores various themes that run through the creator's work, such as his love of dance and the heritage of the Ballets Russes, the Pop influence of Warhol, the photographic genius of Helmut Newton and his fascination for the oceanographic universe.

Several exceptional loans make it possible to transcribe Christian Louboutin's passion for the performing and performing arts with, in particular, two extraordinary works loaned for the occasion by the New National Museum of Monaco: the headdress worn by Joséphine Baker in 1974 and designed by André Levasseur, or the mounted model of the set for the ballet "Jack in the box" by Serge Diaghilev, which was produced in 1926 by the painter André Derain. If the shoes are in the spotlight, with a selection of exceptional pieces including some unique models, the designer especially wanted to pay tribute to those who inspire him and make him dream.

The exhibition presents exclusive collaborations of Christian Louboutin with artists and fashion designers: a bespoke installation by British visual artist Allen Jones designed in 3D, especially for the Grimaldi Forum, offers visitors an immersive space over 170m²; the video by New Zealand artist Lisa Reihana conceived as a walk in dreams where works from Christian Louboutin's personal collection mingle with the places that are dear to him; Carte blanche to the photographer Peter Lippmann invited by Christian Louboutin to imagine a unique staging to accommodate, in the heart of this crypt, a "Versaillaise" thigh-high boot which symbolizes a chandelier based on a drawing by Christian in 2009. With this subject, unprecedented in its programming, the Grimaldi Forum offers a celebration of art through the eyes of a contemporary creator, that, wise and joyful, of Christian Louboutin.