The high heel is one of the most provocative and iconic objects of desire. The exhibition Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe, on view at the Brooklyn Museum through February 15, 2015, includes more than 160 artfully crafted historical and contemporary high heels from the 17th century through the present. Lisa Small, Curator of Exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum, talks about the mystique and power of the high heel and its connections to fantasy, power, and identity.
Salvatore Ferragamo (Italian, 1898–1960). Platform Sandal, 1938. Leather, cork. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Salvatore Ferragamo, 1973.
(Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. /Art Resource, NY)
Vivienne Westwood. “Super Elevated Gillie,” 1993. Courtesy of Vivienne Westwood.
(Photo: Jay Zukerkorn/The Brooklyn Museum)
Christian Dior (French, 1905–1957). Roger Vivier (French, 1913–1998) for House of Dior. Evening Slippers, 1960. Silk, metal, synthetic, glass. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Valeria
(Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. /Art Resource, NY)
Walter Steiger. “Unicorn Tayss,” Spring 2013. Courtesy of Walter Steiger.
(Photo: Jay Zukerkorn/The Brooklyn Museum)
Nicholas Kirkwood. Pumps, Spring/Summer 2013. Suede with gold and clear Swarovski crystals. Courtesy of Nicholas Kirkwood.
(Photo: Jay Zukerkorn/The Brooklyn Museum)
French. Boots, 1900–1920. Leather, cellulose. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Alfred Z. Solomon–Janet A. Sloane Endowment Fund, 2007.
(Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. /Art Resource, NY)
Christian Louboutin. “Metropolis,” Fall/Winter 2010–11. Calfskin and silver spikes. Courtesy of Christian Louboutin.
(Photo: Jay Zukerkorn/The Brooklyn Museum)
Chinese. Manchu Woman's Shoe, 19th century. Cotton, embroidered satin-weave silk. Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Collection
(Brooklyn Museum photograph/The Brooklyn Museum)
Italian. Chopine, 1550–1650. Silk, metal. Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Herman Delman, 1955.
(Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art./Art Resource, NY)
Prada. Wedge Sandal in Rosso, Bianco, and Nero Leather, Spring/Summer 2012. Courtesy of Prada USA Corp.
(Photo: Jay Zukerkorn/The Brooklyn Museum)
Noritaka Tatehana. “Atom,” 2012–13. Faux leather. Courtesy of Noritaka Tatehana.
(Photo: Jay Zukerkorn/The Brooklyn Museum)
