Museums in Paris: Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Part 1 of 2)

Let's go MAD.

Recently, we visited the Musée des Arts Décoratif, MAD for short.  MAD, as the name suggests, is dedicated to the decorative arts of all types--from interior furnishings to fashion and beyond.  The collection spans more than 500 years of artifacts located on 9 floors of a large building. 

Where did they find such a large building in Paris?  MAD is located in the Louvre.  Although located there, MAD is separate from the Louvre Museum.  MAD is located in part of the Louvre's north wing along the Rue de Rivoli.

During our visit, we viewed part of MAD's permanent collection.  Two works of art caught Jean-Claude's attention--one from Renaissance Italy and another from modern France.      

MAD is currently hosting a temporary exhibition dedicated to Marie-Chantal's favorite subject.  Shoes!  Marie-Chantal was as happy as she could be, except if the shoes had been on sale.  

The exhibition, title Marche et Demarche, collected shoes from many time periods and from all over the world.   

Here is a pair of shoes from the time of the French Revolution.

Below is a pair of traditional French wooden shoes from the 1800's, worn while working in a field.  

If you have visited Europe recently, then you might have notice the "vintage" shoes worn by many, many teenagers.  The shoes are the Stan Smith tennis shoes by Adidas.  A pair was included in the exhibition.

We spotted many interesting pairs of shoes in the exhibition, like the three-footed shoe pictured below.  (A pair of coconut shell shoes appears on the background.  Coconuts--they're not only for making phone calls.)

Of course, footwear is not a recent invention.  Below is a pair of 2,000+ year old sandals.

Likewise, foot pain is not a recent invention.

You can still find painful shoes today.  Below is a pair of ultra-high heels by Christian Louboutin.

Another pair of painful shoes appears below--only a very talented ballerina might wear these shoes.  

We spotted shoe artifacts of all sizes--like the pair of extra long men's shoes below, followed by the small foot lasts used by Salvatore Ferragamo to make Audrey Hepburn's shoes.  

The exhibition featured a display about the pieces used to create a sneaker.  Sneakers, known as baskets in France, are in vogue.  You can find pricey, high-fashion versions in many luxury boutiques.  

The exhibition featured pairs of shoes from fiction and science.

(P.S.  In the Cinderella story, did you known that each stepsister cut off part of her foot in order to fit into the glass slipper?)

Below is a reproduction of a very important shoe that took a small step on the Moon in July 1969.  

Animals have suffered for the benefit of human footwear

The exhibition also featured some works of shoe art, like the two pairs of shoes pictured below.

Next Up:  Walk this way!