For most people window dressing is just a way of selling their new line of spring clothing, but New York display artist Simon Doonan uses his windows as a springboard for social commentary and irreverent humor.The Friends of the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection are sponsoring an opportunity to meet the renowned Doonan. He will present a discussion of his book “Confessions of a Window Dresser” and will be available for signing copies. Doonan, Creative Director of Barneys New York, is recognized for creating outrageous celebrity windows. One of his caricature displays includes Madonna attended by an “unholy” stained-glass trinity of Warren Beatty, Sean Penn, and Sandra Bernhard. Another is Senator Jesse Helms as “Censor Claws” surrounded by junk-constructed reindeer named Bigotry, Homophobia, and Censorship. “Simon’s work has such a punch because not only is it visually dazzling, but it’s also incredibly packed with meaningful modern content,” said fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi from a press release.The ability of Doonan to embrace themes of sex, death, and religion with intelligence and humor, turned the windows of the fashion temple of Barneys New York into one of the hottest “must-sees” in the city. “I like a response even if it’s negative. I like to take risks, even if the clothes end up looking unwearable. It’s not the clothes but the image that’s important,” said Doonan.As a young window dresser at Maxfield, the avant-garde Los Angeles clothing store, Doonan first found notoriety by blending art and humor with disturbing images. Yawning coffins, baby-snatching coyotes, and mannequins juggling dead cats could all be seen through Maxfield’s windows.People have come to either love or hate his work, but they always notice it. Even the “I’ve seen it all” attitudes of New Yorkers are easily jarred by Doonan’s displays. Anna Pindell, an undergraduate student of product design, is very excited about Doonan coming to speak. “It will be a tremendous opportunity for local people in the retail industry to get a different perspective on widow dressing,” she said.Doonan’s book, “Confessions of a Window Dresser”, traces his diverse and dynamic career. It is filled with his witty commentary on the hottest people and trends of the last twenty years. He will discuss and sign his book today at 2 p.m. at the Wexner Center Film/Video Theater.Doonan’s visit is in conjunction with the new exhibit, “The Art of Selling” sponsored by The United American Companies and Showcase Stores. The exhibit is a historical exploration of visual display artists, techniques, and artifacts associated with the display of store merchandise from the 1890s to the 1990s. Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, and Doonan are a few of the famous names whose artistic work in window design is recaptured. The exhibition is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., every Wednesday through Saturday until September, at the Geraldine Schottenstein wing of Campbell Hall.
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