Pumps
After working for Castelbajac in Paris and Cerruti in Italy, Tokio Kumagaï began hand-painting shoes in 1979 and opened Paris boutique in 1980. Kumagaï approached the shoe as a surrealist canvas for representations of various objects and animals, or the work of fine artists such as Dali, Mondrian, and Kandinsky. His whimsical designs frequently included faces or masks on the vamp, and involved altering the cut of the shoe to conform to the decorative elements. This cat design is the counterpart of Kumagaï's most famous shoe, the Mouse.
Artwork Details
- Title: Pumps
- Designer: Tokio Kumagaï (Japanese, 1948–1987)
- Date: ca. 1986
- Culture: French
- Medium: leather
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Candice Gold, 1993
- Object Number: 2009.300.3904a, b
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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