Shoes (Deluxe Edition) (FS.II 248-252) is a portfolio of five diamond dust screenprints, published by Andy Warhol in 1980. Often referred to colloquially as the "diamond dust shoes," this series is notable not only for its luminous, glittering surface but also for its deep connection to Warhol’s personal history. This deluxe edition is particularly rare, consisting of just ten portfolios plus one printer’s proof.

Each print features an assortment of shoes—ranging from stilettos to pumps—crafted from a variety of materials such as leather and velvet, arranged in dynamic, varied compositions. The rich diversity of textures and styles exudes a sense of aesthetic opulence, heightened by Warhol’s use of diamond dust. His deliberate choice of a low-contrast palette, with black shoes set against a dark grey background, allows the diamond dust to shimmer strikingly, as if the shoes were suspended among stars in a night sky. To fully appreciate the ethereal treatment of these feminine accessories, it is essential to consider Warhol’s early career as a commercial illustrator.

Before establishing himself as a major figure in contemporary art, Warhol made his living drawing fashion advertisements, primarily shoes. His first assignment, for Glamour magazine in 1949, launched a long-standing association with the motif. Warhol once recalled that he measured his financial success by the number of shoe drawings he completed, saying, "I lived by the number of shoe drawings—when I counted them I knew how much money I had." Even though these early works were commercial in nature, series like À la Recherche du Shoe Perdu (1955) reveal how Warhol imbued each shoe with a distinct personality, often accentuated by careful hand-coloring.

Even after transitioning from commercial illustration to fine art, Warhol frequently returned to shoes as a motif—an unsurprising recurrence given his fascination with glamour, beauty, and sexuality, themes central to his portraits of icons like Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Grace Kelly. The high-heeled stiletto, featured prominently in the Shoes portfolio, serves as a powerful symbol of femininity and allure, needing no celebrity figure to evoke its associations.

Revisiting this subject late in his career, Warhol’s Shoes portfolio captures one of his most beloved and personal themes while also reflecting his evolving artistic practices. Moving beyond traditional illustration, Warhol now employed original Polaroid photography and his signature silkscreen process to reimagine familiar imagery. Shoes stands as a testament to both his enduring preoccupations and his innovative exploration of new materials and methods.