'BUILD ME UP,' Summer 1972

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In his shoes High heels. Low heels. No heels. Dutchman Jan Jansen, respectfully labelled 'The Mad Shoe Designer' by Vogue, has done it all. To celebrate his 65th birthday, as well as his 45th anniversary as an artist, Christie's hosts 'In his Shoes', a landmark sale, the first of its kind in Holland. The sale will offer a unique insight into Jansen's career, from his first - but not so humble - steps to his current status as a high flyer in the fashion industry. Jan Jansen learned his craft the traditional way, through an apprenticeship with an Italian shoe-maker in the early Sixties. This training, coupled with his original talent resulted in a fundamentally different approach on 'how to pack a foot'. Jansen's designs, utterly unconventional but always wearable, were exhibited in museums from Berlin to Tokyo - the New York Metropolitan even has his Bamboo platform high heel shoe on permanent display. While any artist would be proud of worldwide critical acclaim, any artisan would agree with Nancy Sinatra that 'boots are made for walking'. And that's just what they do: sales of Woody, his 1969 rendering of the infamous Dutch clog, have passed the 100,000 mark while his classic High Heeled Sneaker (1977) sold over one million pairs in America alone. Expressing his many talents, the sale features three categories. The fifty lots opening the sale will each contain a single shoe only. Offered in a presentation box especially designed for this occasion, these one offs focus on Jansen as a designer. The following hundred lots, consisting of two or more pairs, allow you to experience Jansen's skill as an artisan: you can actually leave Christie's wearing your newly-won prize. Honouring Jansen as an innovator, fifteen lots of 'ideas' guarantee a spectacular finale to the sale. The highest bidder on these not only wins several shoes of marvellous design, but also the rights to produce them. Any shoe aficionado would be 'mad' to miss out on this sale. Jop Ubbens, Chairman of Christie's Amsterdam Are you not sorry that those shoes are now being sold? Does it not break your heart to see them go? Italians, in particular, ask me this question. I thought about it for a long time and no, I am not sorry. Those shoes have sat in boxes for ten, 20, 30, or sometimes 45 years. Some of them were shown for a short time in exhibitions, after which they went back into boxes. I had said to Janine van den Ende, 'What am I supposed to do with all those shoes?', after which she came up with the idea of holding an auction. I thought that was a brilliant idea. But an idea is worthless if you do not carry it out. A solution was found for this, too, when Art en Theatre offered the use of its facilities. The first shoe auction in Europe will become a reality and at Christie's, no less! Tonny and I are very excited and grateful for this honour. I feel extremely privileged that this is happening to me in my lifetime. And the Dutch pair Joop and Janine van den Ende will of course be the first to see it. I am grateful to them for helping to make it possible for my babies to hopefully sparkle proudly in the homes of undoubtedly special people, instead of sitting around in boxes. If I could, I would like nothing more than to deliver them personally. Many, many thanks to Joop and Janine and Christie's. Jan Jansen. "I once got down on my knees in a shoe factory in Italy to thank God for helping me create such a beautiful design." Jan Jansen (Nijmegen, 1941) once had a dream that a new and brilliant shoe designer had emerged from the masses in the Netherlands. When he awoke, he realised that such a colleague did not exist, but that he did see the colleague's designs in his mind's eye. All he had to do was draw them. The seeds of Jan Jansen's career can be traced to his parents. His father was sales manager in a children's shoe factory and when Jan had his first Communion in 1948, he received a pair of patent leather shoes that were so uncomfortable that he decided that there must be a better alternative. He received his education as a shoe designer in the Netherlands and in Italy from Follie, D'Alco and Albanese, to name a few. In 1963 he set up shop as 'designer of women's and men's shoes' in Amsterdam. After featuring in the famous Grolsch beer advertisement series 'Vakmanschap is Meesterschap' ('Craftsmanship is Mastery') in photos by Paul Huf, Jan Jansen's career took off. The newspaper headlines read "Jan Jansen makes Haute Chaussure" and couturiers like Dick Holthaus, Max Heijmans and Frans Molenaar displayed his designs. In 1964 he married Tonny Polman, who proved to be his muse. While honeymooning in Paris, he sold designs to Dior in passing... Jan Jansen's shoes turned out to be a success and are now also manufactured in small series. From 1963, he began selling his shoes in his own shop on Runstraat in Amsterdam. Ever since, his designs have appeared fairly regularly in national and international exhibitions. Fashion journalists saw Jan Jansen as "the only one who has a sense of the future". Then he achieved international success with the Woody, a trendy clog, which sold 100,000 pairs in five years. In 1973, Jan Jansen claimed success once again after presenting his famous rattan shoes at the Semaine du Cuir in Paris. French chaussurier Charles Jourdan sang the praises of his design and Jan Jansen would thereafter often be known as 'the bamboo shoe man'. In the years that followed, Jan Jansen designed shoes in broad array of shapes and materials. One after the other, he released important designs like the linea erotica, the Zippy, the Aeroline and the floating wedge. He relocated his shop to Rokin street, where he began selling shoes exclusively under his own label. In 1985, he was the first fashion and/or shoe designer to receive the prestigious Kho Liang le prize for industrial design from the city of Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Jan Jansen found himself among a handful of international designers who were able to hold their own while selling exclusively under their own label. In 1993 at the exhibition 'Die Verlassenen Schuhe' ('The Forgotten Shoe') in Bonn, he was the only living designer to be given his own presentation. Jan Jansen has received great acclaim for his work. In 1996, he was awarded the Dutch fashion prize, the Grand Seigneur. He was honoured in the 2002 exhibition 'Jan Jansen - Master of Shoe Design' at the Gemeentemuseum in the Hague as one of the most prominent shoe designers and in 2004 the same exhibition attracted 50,000 visitors in Japan. In 2006, Nederlandse Vereniging van Modejournalisten ('Netherlands Association of Fashion Journalists') presented him with the Max Heijmans ring for his extraordinary contribution to Dutch fashion. However, his merits are recognised far beyond the borders of his homeland. He can easily be placed among the ranks of shoe designers like Rogier Vivier, Charles Jourdan and Jansen's own idol, Salvatore Ferragamo. Jan Jansen is now 65 years old and would not dream of retiring. He still sleeps next to his designs so that he can consider how to improve on them first thing in the morning. Since creating his first design in 1961, he has designed over 2000 pairs of shoes with his wife Tonny at his side all along. He has a hard time articulating what inspires him. Once again, the ideas come from his head. The essence of his designs still lies in the shoe itself; his innovations are never trendy, but rather directional. All it takes is one glance to recognise the craftsmanship in Jan Jansen's shoes. Then you notice that subtle twist, that unexpected touch. Or, as his shoes' wearers say, that "Jan Jansen feeling". Every time we visit art fairs and international art exhibitions, we hope for a surprise. We are really not so interested in art movements or theories about artworks. The most important thing for us is that we both feel moved by a work of art and the artist's motives for creating it. We are first and foremost art enthusiasts and, as a result, we have gradually also become connoisseurs to a certain extent. We love beautiful things and it would be out of character for us to limit ourselves to certain types of art. We love paintings and sculptures, but also architecture, fashion and shoe design. Although shoes are primarily functional, Dutch shoe designer Jan Jansen is one of the few who has dared to take them a step further. He makes shoes - he crafts them like an artisan. But the unique thing about Jan Jansen is that he is, and has been for 40 years now, more than an artisan who has mastered technique. He uses unconventional materials such as bamboo and designs shoes that are pure works of art, while in principle preserving their functionality. This has brought him international acclaim as an artist extending beyond the world of fashion. The one-of-a-kind pieces he creates transcend the status of functional objects. They are artworks that attract an audience of collectors, and in our eyes, rightly so. As co-founder of Endemol and owner of theatre company Stage Entertainment, we know from experience how important it is for the Dutch to branch out and look beyond the borders of our small country. We promote creative talent and support Jan Jansen's talent via the VandenEnde Foundation. His shoe designs can be found the world over and not just in retail stores - various exhibitions in prominent museums have been dedicated to his work. We are pleased that international auctioneering firm Christie's has been so quick to recognise collectors' interest in Jan Jansen and has now organised an auction with 50 of his most beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces and original objects, plus 100 pairs that were selected with care. We wish Jan Jansen and Christie's a successful auction and hope that his shoes will find their way to the serious enthusiasts amongst us. Joop and Janine van den Ende

Details

'BUILD ME UP,' Summer 1972

white platform mule with five multicoloured, detachable soles, 16cm platform

Special notice

" + " : 19.0% VAT applies to both the hammer price and the buyer's premium and is calculated for each lot as 42.8% of the hammer price up to a value of €150,000 plus 33.28% of any amount in excess of €150,000.

Lot Essay

The individual soles were originally sold separately, allowing the wearer to have as few or as many as she desired.

This lot was the first design made by Jan Jansen to appear on the cover of a magazine, the Dutch Panorama.

This lot will be sold with a specially designed display case

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