DOC ART GALLERY presents a new exhibition project, “SHOE MASTERPIECES OF THE 20TH CENTURY from the collection of Nazim Mustafayev.”

Nazim Mustafayev has a unique collection. It presents shoes not only as historical artifacts but also as crucial elements of attire, enabling us to trace the social, economic, and psychological realities of individual periods in the development of human material and spiritual culture. In St. Petersburg, items from Mustafayev’s Art Deco collection were on display at the State Hermitage Museum in the spring and summer of 2025.

The exhibition is dedicated to the evolution of shoe design throughout the 20th century and features an unprecedented selection of items, ranging from models from the 1900s to the early 2000s. Authentic accessories, clothing samples, and archival photographs complement the display, creating a comprehensive portrait of the era.

The exhibition will take viewers through all the stylistic milestones of the past century. The narrow, pointed toes of the early 1900s, the celluloid heels of the 1920s, embodying the spirit of Art Deco, and the practical wedge of the 1930s will highlight the important signs of the post-World War I era. The utilitarian platform of the 1940s and the elegant stiletto heel that replaced it in the 1950s will demonstrate changing notions of femininity and luxury. The 1960s can astound viewers with wide, blunt toes and stubby heels, a premonition of the “sexual” revolution of the 1960s. The incredibly high platforms of the 1970s, which briefly returned in the 1990s, but with a different meaning, demonstrate a growing passion for the outrageous. Since the 1980s, fashion has become polyphonic, and it has become almost impossible to talk about uniform trends – everything that reflects individuality is proclaimed fashionable.

The project will be complemented by lectures on the history of footwear, designer biographies, and fashion styles. A new book on the history of 20th-century footwear will serve as an expanded exhibition catalog.

The lecture schedule will be published as a separate news item tagged “events” on the “Events” page.

Opening date: February 14.
Ticket price: 600 rubles.
Curators: Nazim and Elena Mustafaeva.

Tickets to the gallery can be purchased online on the “Visit” page or at the gallery box office at the entrance.

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