Valentine, Texas - Prada Store

The Prada Marfa is some kind of a permanent art work. There's a plaque on the right side of the building that explains why they put it there.

In a project description on www.pradamarfa.com: "The work will be located on the outskirts of Valentine, Texas near Marfa on desolate ranching land with no other visible trace of civilization. As one drives toward the artwork it will appear to be a large minimalist sculpture, as one gets closer it will look like a luxury boutique where a display of Fall 2005 high-heel Prada shoes and bags will be seen through the store front windows. Yet, one cannot open the door, it is a sealed time capsule and will never function as a place of commerce."

I don't know if this would qualify as a roadside wonder or not, but I think it is certainly unique. I love the idea of putting a very upscale boutique display in the middle of the desert, next to a ghost town and let it sit there to see what will happen. I just hope there won't be any vandalism... [Genevieve, 01/30/2007]

While driving in west Texas a friend and I passed a building with the sign "Prada." I thought it said Pravda, the Russian newspaper, and we had to go back and look at this store in the middle of nowhere. My friend explained to me that Prada was a high class shoe and handbag company. But this building was no store. It was a WORK OF ART! Art is something unique and special and moves your heart or touches your spirit. This is not art. It is humor and it is very funny. Someone scrawled on the plaque explaining the exhibit. "This is not art. This does not belong in west Texas!"

In the store windows, some shoes and handbags are displayed.

Next time I go back I am going to play a joke on the artist. I will have a large banner that I will hang across the top of the building. It will read "Grand Opening Valentine's Day 2025." [Brian Mcdermott, 02/13/2006]

[RA: Installed as a "site specific, permanent land art project" in October, 2005, the artists are Elmgreen and Dragset, commissioned by the Art Production Fund and Ballroom Marfa. The plaque notes: "The structure includes luxury goods from the fall 2005 collection. However, the sculpture will never function as a place of commerce, the door cannot be opened." The Prada company gave permission for use of their logo.]