On his way home, a youth named Dorothy uncovered that the information surfaced through channels of self-confidence, freedom, and critical thinking. This journey mirrors the path taken by the hero in the Wizard of Oz, and those same principles echoed in Sara Navarro’s own voyage from her hometown of Elda to cross borders with shoe designs—a world she built in parallel. A thread of exploration returns to its origin, already established as a recurring motif.
That shared thread guided gallery owner Begoña M. Deltell as she shaped the exhibition. Art serves as inspiration. Sara Navarro’s collection was unveiled this morning at the Gravina Fine Arts Museum in Alicante (Mubag) and runs through 25 June. The show forges a conceptual dialogue between pieces from Navarro’s collection—featuring major contemporary art names—and the shoes she designs from around the world, spanning more than 38 countries.
“This is a singular project, perhaps unique in Spain, a dialogue that renews the sense of the concept and champions contemporary culture and its ties to design because they never parted,” stated the exhibition’s curator.
Navarro designed her first piece at 15, acquired her first artwork at 17 while working at the Valencia Furniture Fair during university studies, and launched her own brand at 21.
Her artistic journey ran parallel with Navarro’s work as a gallery collaborator, designer, and friend circle. These relationships nurtured her creativity as she developed footwear that later found homes in museums, galleries, and art fairs. Her first encounter with the world of collectibles came through Nieves Fernández’s gallery.
For Navarro, art is universal, and the shoes speak a language of emotion that transcends fashion and trends, endowing them with timelessness and a life of their own, she notes as part of her belief.
Art and shoes, Sara Navarro’s dual collection
From that feedback, the exhibit emerged, presenting 53 works of art with two unpublished installations by Pamen Pereira and French Fuencisla, alongside fifty designs. The selection features artists such as Antoni Tàpies, Eduardo Chillida, Enrique Palazuelo, Jaume Plensa, Equipo Crónica, Joan Miró, Joan Genovés, Lucio Muñoz, and others, many drawn from Navarro’s own collection. Contributions also came from galleries that accompanied her on the journey, including Nieves Fernández, Llamazares, Aural, and Daniel Cuevas, among others.
For Navarro, receiving the Gold Medal of Merit in Fine Arts and the Silver Star of the Community of Madrid marked a fulfillment of the dream to display the collection in Alicante. The aim is to bring art into daily life as a fundamental human right and duty, ensuring its vitality and longevity as a lasting legacy—art, after all, knows no age or social status.
She also views the exhibition as a tribute to gallery owners, whose support makes private collecting possible.
Mubag’s manager, Jorge Soler, called the exhibition an “extremely important” event and a challenge for museums to stage. It broadens the museum’s reach to audiences with singular and contemporary initiatives in Rooms by Emilio Varela. The exhibition thus opens new doors for diverse experiences in the cultural sphere.
At the opening ceremony, theme singer Marilia Andrésa—an intimate friend of the designer—joined officials including the first vice president and the culture vice president. They highlighted Alicante’s cultural potential, suggesting that the city deserves recognition beyond its borders and that it can offer quality cultural programming. The event also underscored a shared belief that a dream for combining a collector’s sensibility with the design profession could come to life in a real, tangible way.
In closing remarks, the provincial assembly president emphasized that culture is firmly tied to regional leadership. The goal remains to elevate the talent within the area and beyond, a sentiment that Navarro embodies as someone who loves her homeland and is loved in return.