Artist Margaret Lee Designs Windows for Barneys New York

by Kristen Heinzinger
Margaret Lee

Artist Margaret Lee, known for her New York City galleries and her mixed media installations, designed a set of six windows for Barneys New York’s Madison Ave. and downtown flagships. The installation, called “Having It Both Ways”—on display now through June 26—focuses on luxury consumerism, like much of her work, and showcases domestic scenes like kitchens, a bathroom, and a nursery. Uniquely beautiful, each display pokes fun at New Yorkers who curate their homes in a gallery-like, overly controlled way. “…No matter how hard you try to make things perfect, your humanness shines through,” said Lee of the concept. “You can’t fight your own peculiarities—like having a fridge stocked with only watermelons and a handbag or matching your couch to your gold Margiela sneakers.” 

The windows feature handcrafted and painted watermelons, chrome and stainless steel backdrops built by the Barneys New York visual team, and luxurious product like a Dries Van Noten faux fur jacquard cape in a downtown window. The Madison Avenue windows display a Gareth Pugh raincoat, Maison Martin Margiela sneakers, an XO Sevan Bıçakçı ring, and a Rimowa suitcase. Performance artist Helga Davis recorded a soundtrack for the locations to enhance the experience.

For more details about the collaboration, check out The Window.

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