Art and Window display
Art is the concept that brings together all the creations made by human beings to communicate a personal vision of the world. Art is an expression of ideas, perceptions, emotions and is an inexhaustible source of inspiration, as some museums and cities are a recurrent source, as well as contemporary artists open new perspectives of what art is.
When fashion meets art
Art has always been a faithful partner of window displays. Cities dress up with shop windows that identify a style, an era, recreating scenes and experiences.
Luxury firms and designers who have a direct relationship with art know this very well, since they do not make Prêt-à-porter but “pieces of art that dress” with an essence of lasting value over time.
A necessary partnership that feeds back into both the one and the other.
Specifically, the design of window design has an association with ephemeral art with a vision and access for all, with a strong connection to the culture of the environment and of the moment.
Window design is not just a couple of randomly placed objects, but the fusion of the aforementioned with what is inside the point of sale.
The history of 19th century art is full of great painters who exhibited their works in stores of various kinds.
Goya presented his Caprichos for sale in a drugstore in Madrid, Hogarth sold his works in his brother’s store, Turner found his first customers in his father’s barbershop, Thomas Cole‘s landscapes were discovered by the historian William Dunlap in a window of a New York street while Monet became known in the window of a store in Le Havre. (Lorente, 2000).
Display windows as we know them today in Spain have evolved since the seventies, when commercial and artistic techniques converged with the aim of creating brand image. But it was only in the eighties when the process began in which products were treated as works of art in a museum, turning stores into art galleries.
The contemporary artist Banksy, for example, often uses the streets and stores to show his work.
In 2008 he opened his first exhibition (not dedicated to the world of graffiti) in a pet store, The Pet Store and Chacoal Grill in New York. The artist’s goal was to promote a critique of modern society and denounce animal abuse in different industries.
Also, the art of Keith Haring, known for combining art and fashion, has been featured in Stella McCartney’s transparent tattooed mannequins.
Nowadays, in Spain, art and window display are becoming more and more relevant: the international contemporary art fair ARCO has been focusing on it for years. For example, in 2014 it transformed all the windows display of El Corte Inglés in Preciados street by filling them with works by various artists.
Louis Vuitton
If there is a brand that is deeply connected to art, it is undoubtedly Louis Vuitton. Collaborations with artists such as Stephen Sprouse, Takashi Murakami or Yayoi Kusama have created unique experiences and collections.
Vuitton was always a visionary and lover of beauty. One of his diverse and multiple interests was the conception and creation of window displays, which are the closest thing to an art gallery.
Thanks to its strong interest in art, its window displays have seen works by Frank Gehry, Peter Marino, Daniel Buren, Takashi Murakami or Yayoi Kusama recreating true magical worlds in which golden dinosaurs, aerostatic balloons or colorful universes have given us an unforgettable experience.
Such is the importance the brand places on window displays that in 2016 the Assouline publishing house published Louis Vuitton Windows, a book celebrating the brand’s most original window displays.
Loewe
Loewe is one of the pioneering brands in contributing to visual and aesthetic education.
Their window displays can be considered small museum pieces and their love for art has been kept alive since the brand’s origin.
The ultimate expression of this interest in the artistic world was the creation of the Loewe Foundation, which since 1988 has been promoting creativity and educational projects in various fields: dance, design, poetry, photography and crafts.
It was in 1939 when Enrique Loewe Knapped opened in Gran Vía (Madrid) one of its most emblematic stores, becoming one of the first to adopt semicircular shop windows.
Since the beginning, these window displays have become great fashion references that, season after season, have generated a strong impact thanks to the creation of sophisticated scenes full of magic.
For the first time, the window displays gave a glimpse of the luxury inside the stores, and José Pérez de Rozas, Loewe’s creative director for 33 years, was responsible for it.
In love with animal sculptures, Pérez de Rozas brought a touch of Hollywood glamour and a taste for the most exclusive luxury through his creations.
Since then, Loewe has been committed to creativity and its strong relationship with art, collaborating with different national and international artists for the creation of its window displays and collections.
This industry lives not only of fashion, but also of art, of visual and aesthetic richness with which to educate the eye. Loewe knows it well, claims its good taste and values in each of its campaigns and we have the privilege of enriching ourselves just walking through the streets of our city.
The history of fashion teaches us that window displays are not only a tool to showcase products but a stage where fashion and art can merge to create unique experiences and magical places.
Sources: joseluisledesma.com; vogue.es; hmvm.co.uk ; revistaad.es ; exitmail.net; revistadearte.com ; lofficiel.es