Discover the treasures of North America’s charming and surprising shoe museum in Toronto, Canada. A remarkable collection of footwear from around the globe with over 4,500 years of history. Explore four impressive exhibitions that will inspire and delight visitors of all ages in architect Raymond Moriyama’s iconic, award-winning building.
Andre Perugia: A Design Legend Unveiled
October 2025 – April 2027
This exhibition explores the work of one of the most significant and under-researched footwear designers of the 20th century, André Perugia. A pioneering Italian-French shoe designer, André Perugia (1893-1977) is known for his architecturally innovative and technically masterful footwear designs.
Throughout the run of the exhibit, over 95 examples of the designer’s work dating from the 1920s through the 1960s, will be featured; shoes from contemporary designers inspired by his vision will also be on display. This exhibition will highlight the historical importance of Perugia’s work, contextualizing it within the larger framework of fashion across the decades.
Rough & Ready: A History of the Cowboy Boot
May 2025 – October 2026
The story of the cowboy boot is steeped in history and legend and is neither simple nor straightforward. Since their invention in the late nineteenth century, cowboy boots have embodied contradiction. They have symbolized labor and leisure, freedom and domination, tradition and reinvention. Cowboy boots were born out of industrialization yet refined through expert craftsmanship, they have been used to both celebrate individualism and forge cultural cohesion. They were central to the closing of the West, yet endure as emblems of freedom and wide-open spaces. Over time, cowboy boots have signaled power and privilege as well as resistance and reclamation. Whether worn in the saddle, on screen, or in the streets, cowboy boots remain a cultural touchstone, embodying both tradition and transformation in a constantly changing world.
October 3, 2024 to March 23, 2026
Can shoes be art? As artists increasingly use sneakers to challenge and redefine conventional artistic boundaries, Art/Wear: Sneakers and Artists explores how these collaborations blur the lines between art, fashion and collecting by opening up the opportunity to acquire and wear pieces by some of the most revered art figures in the world. Many of these collabs are finding their place within traditional art spaces, such as art museums and auction houses, contributing to the ongoing discussion of what defines art today.
All About Shoes: Footwear Through the Ages
Permanent
As the museum’s flagship exhibition, this exhibit takes visitors on a voyage through 4500 years of footwear history, focusing on the important role that footwear plays in our lives and imaginations. Up a flight of stairs is the exhibition Behind the Scenes: A Glimpse into Artefact Storage. With only four percent of the collection typically on view at any given time, this area gives visitors a glimpse into the museum’s two storage vaults and offers rotations of artefacts from the collection.
OPENING HOURS
Monday to Saturday: 10am to 5pm
Sunday: 12pm to 5pm
The Bata Shoe Museum offers FREE admission every Sunday!
