New Loewe Archives Exhibit Brings Together Seven Decades Of Window Displays

Loewe is pleased to announce its latest exhibition from the archives, opening on September 18, 2019 at Loewe Gran Via in Madrid. The show, the second in a series in which LOEWE opens its vaults to the public through selected pieces, focuses on the house’s longstanding history of window displays created by leading artists and craftsmen.

For decades, Loewe’s window displays have been enjoyed by many cities particularly in Madrid, which showcases the brand’s signature crystal vitrines that face the capital’s Gran Via Boulevard. This makes the gallery at the brand’s oldest operating store, which opened in 1939, a fitting venue to celebrate Loewe’s tradition of artful window presentations.

A selection of representative window designs covering over seventy years and organized around eight themes will be recreated for the exhibition, featuring products from the period when the displays were originally conceived. In some cases, the historic examples are juxtaposed with contemporary interpretations by creative director Jonathan Anderson. Period photographs and explanatory texts round out the installation.

Among the exhibit’s highlights are a larger-than-life metal grasshopper created in the early 1960s by José Pérez de Rozas, the mastermind behind Loewe’s iconic window displays for over 30 years. The iconic insect was reimagined for Loewe’s Summer 2017 windows by Jonathan Anderson, whose modern tribute is featured in the exhibit alongside the original.

Also on view are sketches for window displays (in wax and watercolor) by Pérez de Rozas, a number of which have been used in recent years as motifs in Loewe collections, such as the men’s winter style guide.

Capturing 1980s exuberance, striking horse heads by Valencian sculptor Amadeo Gambino complement black bags in exotic skins and a set of gold and silver home goods, while a metal wire sculpture version of the main character in Diego Velázquez’ 17th century masterpiece ‘Las Meninas’, which is on loan from the private collection of Enrique Loewe, evokes 1990s inventiveness.

Brought together for the first time and spanning a diverse range of materials, inspirations and styles, the featured displays document evolving social and aesthetic practices through the lens of the brand’s history. Running through the exhibition like a thread, a commitment to unbound imagination and artisanal skill of the highest order connects every period of the house to today.

In the Philippines, Loewe is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., and is located at Shangri-La Plaza Mall East Wing. Follow @ssilifeph on Facebook and Instagram for more information.