Prada Marfa, the work that defies time

Many of us know this famous painting in Gossip Girl "Prada Marfa" but where does this symbol of pop culture come from? Answer in this article.

Rare are the times that I tell you about an address outside of Paris, but this one is worth the detour. We meet in the United States, more particularly in Texas in Marfa. In this city of fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, the desert is part of the decoration of the city. Along U.S. Route 90, where Prada Marfa artwork takes place.

Initiated by Michael Elmgreen from Denmark and Ingar Dragset from Norway. The two visual artists live and work in Berlin. They like to shed their light on the relationship between art, architecture, and design. Between humor and social and cultural concerns, artists like to install architectural and sculptural works.

In 1997, they exhibited their Powerless Structures series, then in 2001 the modernist model Kunsthalle. Finally, it was in 2005 that they became known to the general public with their work Prada Marfa.

This work represents a boutique of the Italian luxury house Prada. It is originally a minimalist sculpture that represents the contrast with the surrealism of the luxury sector and particularly of fashion.

Inside the store there are 20 heeled shoes, now only for the left foot (we'll come back to that later) and 6 handbags. All items are from the late 2005 collection.

This store is made of bricks, plaster, glass, paint, aluminum, and carpet, unfortunately, does not have a functional door. It is therefore not possible to touch or purchase the items.

Although this is not the first time that artists have used the Prada house, for this work they had the agreement of Muccia Prada who even supplied the goods. This art installation was eligible for $ 80,000 in funding from the Art Production Fund.

Initially, Elmgreen and Dragset hoped that "in 50 years [this work] will be a ruin", so the facility should not be maintained or repaired.

But as of October 2005, Prada Marfa suffered vandalism, graffiti, and even theft. That's when all the shoes on the right foot were stolen along with some 20 handbags.

Since then the facility has undergone repairs and the installation of alarms to prevent vandalism.

However, the problems will not end there for this groundbreaking installation. By settling 45km from Marfa, home of Donald Judd, considered the Pope of minimalist sculpture, critics were quick to come. Judd's aficionados weren't shy about giving the facility a negative review. Donald Judd’s partner Marianne Stockbrand called it "decadent, out of place, bad".

Today, the art installation is 15 years old and has become a true benchmark in pop culture. It is the Van Der Woodsen who takes up the work with a minimalist painting in the name of Prada Marfa. The entire Upper East Side was able to admire this beautiful painting which has become iconic for all fans of the series.

Also on television, it is in the series "The Simpsons" that we find the installation in 2019. In the episode, Marge exclaims "Prada! In the middle of nowhere, "Lisa replies," Mum, this is not a shop, this is an art installation! ".

On Instagram, celebrities jostle in front of the facility to take the best photos possible!