Léger at the PMA

Between now and January 5, head over to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for their new exhibit, Léger: Modern Art and the Metropolis.  This interdisciplinary exhibition will shed new light on the vitally experimental decade of the 1920s in Paris when the great French modernist Fernand Léger played a leading role in redefining the practice of painting by bringing it into active engagement with the urban environment and modern mass media.

The starring piece of the exhibit is Léger’s monumental painting The City from 1919, a cornerstone of the PMA’s collection and a landmark in the history of modern art.  Here it is!

It feels like a city, doesn’t it?  Wash hanging from the line.  Pedestrians.  Signboards.  Electricity.  Life!

This chunky sandal has so much going on—a bright yellow 1.77-inch platform, blue and beige patent leather up the front of the foot, and that heel!  Look at that crazy heel.  It’s fabulous, in a weird sort of way.  If you agree, you can pick it up at Light in the Box for $100.

But Léger isn’t the only artist on display.  He’s accompanied by other artists also exploring the complexity and excitement of the metropolis.  Artists like Piet Mondrian, and his No. IV / Composition No. II:

Mondrian, of course, is recognized the world over for his color-blocking.  Like these shoes!

The Nanette by Calvin Klein is Mondrian in a shoe, if ever I saw it!  Its mixed-leather upper is blocked in red, white, and beige, with a four-inch heel in black.  Block-tastic!  Yours for $413 on Zappos (on sale from $825!).

Another featured artist is Gerald Murphy.  This is his Razor:

I sort of love this painting—the clean lines, the subtle crosshatching on the razor, the old-timey fountain pen.

The Kambria by Michael Antonio has a delicately masculine shape, with the clean lines of Murphy’s painting.  The silver and black are so striking, don’t you think?  It’s got a killer five-inch heel (though at least it’s not skinny!) and a one-inch platform to help you out with the, you know, walking.  Find them at Heels.com for $75.

Feeling inspired?  I know I am!  So head on over to the PMA and enjoy some Léger (and friends)!