Denim – stylish, practical, timeless

Blue fabric with a history. Exhibition in conjunction with the VirtualShoeMuseum.

Blue fabric with a history. Exhibition in conjunction with the VirtualShoeMuseum.

Denim is an essential part of many people’s basic wardrobe. Almost everyone owns at least one denim item. Today, however, denim is much more than just a fabric for clothing. One might think that denim and art have nothing to do with each other. Far from it. Many artists around the world have discovered denim as a material in its own right. This unique special exhibition shows the versatility and history of this popular material. It includes paintings by The Master of the Blue Jeans from the end of the late 17th century, jeans, denim jackets, bags, shoes, furniture and everyday objects, as well as sculptures or installations such as The Secret Garden by Ian Berry and the Panthers by Afran (Milan Art & Events Center).

In this exhibition, which features approximately 125 objects, visitors are taken on a journey through the facets of this fascinating material. This special exhibition was created in collaboration with Virtual Shoe Museum. We have succeeded in collecting and bringing together items on loan from various European museums, private collectors and installations from galleries and artists all over the world. Of course there are some amazing shoes on show as well: denim boots by designers Amber Ambrose Aurèle Bianca Georgescu, Antoine Peters X United Nude, the ‘Footsteps of Denim’ shoe sculpture by Anna Weber and historic miners boots from the collection of Viktor Fredbäck. The exhibition can only be seen in this form in Basel.

More information at SpielzeugWeltenMuseum Basel

On show from 17 October 2020 – 5 April 2021.

Location
Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel
Steinenvorstadt 1, Basel, Switzerland

Opening hours museum
Tuesday to Sunday from 10 to 18
31 December till 16
Closed on 25.12.2020 & 22.02.2021-24.02.2021

Boot ‘New Traditions 1.0’ by Amber Ambrose Aurèle, Photo by Charlotte Visser.