Architectural Digest Dec2016

An installation nown for its crops of evokes Magritte’s grapes, wheat, and corn, the bucolic town- 1930s painting ship of Buchanan, in the southwestern cor- KTime Transfixed. ner of Michigan, is an unlikely spot to find a Surrealist garden. But that is precisely what Alan Koppel, a Chicago art dealer, and his wife, Sherry, an interior designer, have conjured on the acreage surrounding their weekend house. “If you know something of Surrealism, the garden means more to you,” Alan explains. “But you can enjoy it even if you know nothing.” Hidden among towering trees is a custom-made carved- wood horse head that refers partly to René Magritte’s 1926 collage The Lost Jockey and partly to a 1940s Alexander Calder chess set. Tall carved-wood spindles known as bilboquets—Alan, influenced by other Magrittes, designed them to resemble elongated pawns— are tucked amid the greenery, too. One strange feature, at the end of a grass path, is a freestanding black mantel topped by what appears to be a framed mirror, two candlesticks, and a clock, embodying Magritte’s famous 1938 painting Time Transfixed, though without the old-fashioned loco- motive hurtling out of the fireplace. But upon close inspection, the golden frame is empty, and there are four candlesticks, a sec- ond pair standing directly behind the first, and two clocks that are placed back-to-back, creating the illusion of a reflection. Meandering through the trees, one discovers more and more bewitcheries. The Koppels’ Tuba on Fire is a Magritte image made three-dimensional and high-octane. Alan bought the brass instru- ment on eBay and equipped it with a concealed gas tank that allows The Koppels flames to shoot up through a perforated pipe outlining the horn’s planted the double allée of sycamores silhouette. As for Alan’s installation Girl in the Ground, a pair of nine years ago, just after buying 1940s stocking molds are upended, as if a woman had plunged head- the 16-acre lot. first and waist-deep into the emerald turf. 9 2 A R C H D I G E ST.C O M Not far from the mantel installation is the serene Tree Room, a square space bound by privet hedges, shaded by hedge maples, and invitingly furnished with rattan chairs and a metal table. Off the home’s master bath is the Walled-In Garden, an enclosure measur- ing ten feet square, which incorporates an outdoor shower surrounded by beautifully planted walls, two hosting espaliered pear-apple trees, and two others blanketed with climbing hydran- geas and a Japanese maple. (To keep the grounds at the peak of perfection, the Koppels employ David Lugardo, a local landscaper, six days a week. “Without him,” Sherry says, “we are nothing.”) Provocative and disorienting, the Koppel garden has also become a working laboratory. “Fountains and urns can cost $20,000 to $100,000, but why can’t you get an ornament for $5,000 or $6,000?” Alan asks. Thus, he expects to introduce a line of afford- able outdoor eye-catchers next year. The designs remain top secret, but, given the source, they surely will have artful allusions.

Placed at the end of an allée, a vintage iron map frame from Architectural Artifacts delineates a distant view. A R C H D I G E ST.C O M 9 3

Additional Magritte- inspired totems punctuate the Surrealist Garden; the spiral topiary in the foreground mimics a tower imagined by Russian architect Vladimir Tatlin in 1920. 9 4 A R C H D I G E ST.C O M

A R C H D I G E ST.C O M 9 5

COLLECTED WISDOM THOUGH BETH RUDIN DEWOODY AND FIROOZ ZAHEDI’S HOMES ARE PACKED WITH THE WORK OF ARTISTS BOTH KNOWN AND UP-AND-COMING, THE DYNAMIC PATRONS ALWAYS MANAGE TO MAKE ROOM FOR MORE TEXT BY VICKY LOWRY PHOTOGRAPHY BY FIROOZ ZAHEDI STYLED BY CARLOS MOTA (NYC), MAYER RUS (L.A.)

LOS ANGELES In the West Coast apartment that Beth Rudin DeWoody shares with husband Firooz Zahedi, her grand- son, Jackson DeWoody, sits beneath an Alex Katz portrait of her mother, Gladyce Begelman. Opposite: In the foyer, visitors are greeted by Andrew Brischler’s Vertigo, an Anne Collier photo- graph, a Lalanne sheep, and a bear- head sculpture by Otani Workshop. 97

LOS ANGELES In the dining room of the guest apartment, a hand-knitted “painting” by Channing Hansen hangs above a Tommi Parzinger credenza. The early 1960s drawing is by John Altoon. NEW YORK CITY Right: The living room contains a Paul Feeley sculp- ture beside the piano, a hanging piece by Lee Bul, and works by Rachel Feinstein, Vik Muniz, and Rob Wynne. Opposite: The foyer is graced by a Carl Andre sculpture, a Sol LeWitt wall draw- ing, a Terence Koh installation, and a Maria Pergay chair.

F or nearly 30 years philanthropist Beth Rudin different floors in a midcentury gem in Westwood. In ascending DeWoody has lived in a gracious prewar apart- order there is what Zahedi calls his “office studio–slash–man ment so close to Manhattan’s East River that cave”; a guest apartment for friends and family (DeWoody’s yachts were once moored outside the building. daughter, Kyle, recently crashed there before moving into her Over time DeWoody, an heir to her family’s real- new place, and son Carlton often brings over his young children); estate fortune and a longtime trustee of the and their own spacious living quarters. The modernist building first caught Zahedi’s eye before he and DeWoody were married, Whitney Museum of American Art, has filled the 12-room home— when he was living a block away. “I did a shoot with Billy Wilder there in 1989,” the photographer recalls. “The lobby was so grand. renovated by architect Alan Wanzenberg in 1988—with a spec- I thought, Wow, this would be a very nice place to live.” tacular and ever-growing accumulation of art and objects. The couple didn’t set out to have multiple floors of living space, even with such a voluminous amount of art to display. But Delectable midcentury European furnishings reside cheek by in the midst of renovating what is now the guest apartment— with the help of L.A. interior designers Stephen Tomar and jowl with Pop Art icons, drawings, sculptures, and a seemingly Stuart Lampert—they learned that a double-size, upper-floor unit had just come on the market. DeWoody ran upstairs to endless array of conceptual contemporary work. When the vora- check it out for a friend and ran back down to tell her husband, “I think we need to buy it.” cious collector married Iranian-born, Los Angeles–based photog- rapher Firooz Zahedi in 2012, the decision to buy a West Coast apartment together provided a perfect opportunity to put more of her vast treasure trove on display. “With more art, more real estate,” DeWoody jokes, referring to the couple’s vertical L.A. compound—a trio of apartments on A R C H D I G E ST.C O M 9 9

NEW YORK CITY Artworks by Willem de Kooning, Lucio Fontana, and Cy Twombly are arrayed on a leather banquette in the kaleido- scopic media room. Rug by Hechizoo. 1 0 0 A R C H D I G E ST.C O M



They supervised the renovation and decoration of the main shy away from such challenging works, Beth zeroes in,” says apartment themselves. By taking down one wall, they created a Maynard Monrow, a New York–based art adviser who catalogues massive living room that’s now divided by a screenlike sculp- and helps display the collection. tural installation assembled by artist Joel Otterson with dozens of DeWoody’s vintage white ceramic pieces. Wood floors were D eWoody took her first drawing class at the Art bleached, walls were lightened, and a neutral palette was Students League of New York at the age of 13 and employed for fabrics and finishes—all quiet foils for a collection bought her first work—a drawing by one of her teach- that, at least in this part of the home, is heavy on California art- ers, the African-American artist Benny Andrews—four ists. “Beth wanted the spaces to be full of brightness. It helps years later. Since then she has amassed more than 10,000 pieces, with contemporary art, which needs a gallery environment so it a fraction of which are installed on the walls, floors, ceilings, and can breathe,” says Zahedi. furniture of her sensational Manhattan apartment. There, mas- terworks rub shoulders with creations by intriguing young artists, Downstairs, in the guest apartment, the furnishings get livelier, many of whom rely on DeWoody’s patronage to keep the lights along with the art. The living room’s vintage red-cushioned on. And while the furnishings clearly play second fiddle to the Warren Platner sofas amplify eye-catching paintings, such as astonishing art, the collector demonstrates an equally David Wojnarowicz’s brash Cartoon Bull. “Where others would

adventurous sensibility in chairs and tables, freely blending idio- NEW YORK CITY syncratic pieces such as an 18th-century Gothic Revival bookcase and a signature Droog chair made out of rags. Above: An Andy Warhol–inspired sculpture by Charles Lutz sits in front of a Gothic Revival bookcase in the library. One can imagine the dedication required to assemble such a tantalizing mélange, and DeWoody admits to buying art “all the Left: A Tom Sachs rat sculpture alights on the mirrored time.” Whether she is in New York, L.A., or pretty much anywhere dining room table. Works by Ed Ruscha, Simon Evans, and in the world, DeWoody heads out practically every morning to Liza Lou adorn the walls. visit museums, galleries, and the studios of emerging talents. “Beth is a 24-7 art lover,” says Zahedi, who prefers vintage pho- miniature poodle, bought on impulse at a farmers’ market, which tography but is coming around to the new and next under his she and Zahedi have named Rooz (daylight in Farsi). And, of wife’s tutelage. “It’s like taking a course in contemporary art and course, the roiling L.A. art scene offers endless possibilities for sleeping with the teacher,” he adds with a laugh. discovering under-the-radar artists and “challenging” art. “I always thought L.A. would be a pied-à-terre for me, but it’s a A born-and-bred New Yorker, DeWoody finds herself spend- much more relaxing place,” DeWoody says. “I love the energy of ing more and more time in L.A., enjoying the company of her New York, yet I can’t wait to get back here.” children and grandchildren as well as her latest acquisition: a A R C H D I G E ST.C O M 1 0 3

LOS ANGELES Works by James Lee Byars are installed on the far wall of the guest apartment’s living room. A David Wojnarowicz painting hangs above a Piero Fornasetti table and a Pedro Friedeberg hand chair. 104



The main gallery of the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (masp.org.br) has been rein- stalled according to the original vision of the building’s architect, Lina Bo Bardi. hen the Museu de images recording the sensation of taking in an entire collection at a ROMULLO BARATTO Arte de São Paulo single glance. But last December Bo Bardi’s original scheme was (MASP) opened the re-created—and it is as surprising today as it was half a century ago. doors to its new home in 1969, visitors were Prior to immigrating to Brazil in 1946, Bo Bardi had witnessed shocked to find over the unorthodox display of art in historic buildings through the 100 paintings hovering in the main gallery—each work hung on a work of Franco Albini, who placed paintings on freestanding glass panel rather than a wall. By the 1990s this unprecedented metal rods in his reimagined galleries at Milan’s Pinacoteca di scheme, conceived by the building’s modernist architect, Lina Bo Brera. Across the Atlantic, Bo Bardi experimented with daring, Bardi, fell out of favor, and the space was carved up with standard reconsidering museums as places to explore “ways of showing” partitions. I, like much of the Italian-Brazilian talent’s growing fan while “building an atmosphere” to induce active encounters club, have had to be content to experience her radical hanging rather than just reverent contemplation. through ghostly black-and-white photographs, these vintage Set on São Paulo’s Avenida Paulista, facing a dense urban park, the site for MASP commanded views over the skyline even as it 1 0 6 A R C H D I G E ST.C O M

CLEAR VISION AT SÃO PAULO’S MUSEUM OF ART, ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN BARRY BERGDOLL DISCOVERS THE ENDURING POWER OF LINA BO BARDI’S RADICAL—AND RECENTLY REVIVED—EXHIBITION DESIGN plunged into a ravine. A mandate to preserve the vista inspired reading can never interfere with viewing. Works are to be under- Bo Bardi to divide the museum into two structures—one nestled stood one by one, not as belonging to a movement or period. into the hillside, its roof terrace at street level, the other a two- (Although, unless you literally have your nose to the canvas, story glazed box held aloft. In this raised volume she let her imag- peripheral views of so many other pieces can be distracting.) ination soar, displaying paintings on glass easels staggered like Interestingly, what was originally an exit at the opposite end of sentries in rows. A canvas was to be experienced as if still in the the gallery from the entry is now reserved for emergencies, mean- artist’s studio, caught in the moment of creativity rather than ing visitors have the odd, unintended experience of retracing their embalmed on a museum wall. To either side, floor-to-ceiling glass steps, viewing the backside of the collection, an army in retreat. expanses framed sweeping views of treetops and city. It’s a sight I had never considered when looking longingly at those old photographs, and it adds a whole new dimension to Lina Bo When I visited MASP this past July, the easels—stabilized by Bardi’s experiment—one that has been rarely considered, in concrete blocks and wood wedges—had been re-created by the which, backstage, the materials of framing are as much on view local firm Metro Arquitetos. The frames of each painting are as the artworks themselves. screwed to the panes, with labels on the back of the glass so that

TheItalian Jobs The latest trend in Roman culture is Italian luxury brands adopting historic sites in need, such as Bulgari’s recent restoration of the Spanish Steps. 108

With the help of fashion stars turned cultural crusaders, Rome’s most beloved historic sites are sparkling once again TEXT BY MITCHELL OWENS PHOTOGRAPH BY DARIO GAROFALO

L ike most Italians and millions of tourists Della Valle, who was the man of the hour on July 1, when the LEFT: STEFANO SCATA; RIGHT: DARIO GAROFALO every year, Diego Della Valle was used to completion of phase one of the Colosseum’s reconditioning— Rome’s Colosseum looking magnificently a three-year-long cleaning and stabilization of the massive first- woebegone—its travertine blocks grayed century structure—was officially celebrated. (The landmark stayed with soot, pitted by acid rain, and loosened open to the public throughout the work.) The grimy stone walls are after centuries of freezing and thawing as well as by traffic and golden again, and traffic has been largely restricted on the adjacent subway vibrations. But in 2011, at a time the Italian government Via dei Fori Imperiali, granting travelers and locals alike more space admitted it was too cash-strapped to restore the world’s largest for a leisurely appreciation of the Colosseum and the historic amphitheater, Della Valle, the dashing silver-maned chairman and center’s other ancient ruins. Up next at the amphitheater is the res- CEO of Tod’s, chipped in some $30 million. toration of underground chambers, followed by the construction of “One of the reasons for doing the restoration was to emphasize a visitors’ center and a cafeteria. “When I see the Colosseum now, I the pride of being Italian and doing things for the country,” says feel proud for me and for the people who work in my group and for 1 1 0 A R C H D I G E ST.C O M

Left: The Colosseum after the latest phase of Tod’s multimillion-dollar refreshing. Below: Fendi underwrote the restoration of the legendary Trevi Fountain. all the people who are loyal to my products,” Della Valle modestly and graffiti, that cost $1.7 million and involved nearly 100 expert continues. “Everyone has partly contributed to this project.” craftspeople. To celebrate, Bulgari hosted a lavish soiree at the site, complete with a cavalcade of fireworks. Call it patrimonial bliss. All across Rome—and for that matter, Italy—top fashion houses have revived endangered treasures, taking Thanks to a postrecession economy now showing signs of them into their ardent embrace. The Trevi Fountain reopened last vitality, the Italian government’s coffers are filling up again, and November after a $2.4 million revamp by Fendi, which also revived historic sites are feeling the love. Still, “the issue of cultural pre- the city’s Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, a long-abandoned 1940s servation remains very urgent in Italy,” Della Valle cautions. Mussolini-modern tower that is now the firm’s headquarters. For “Besides it being an important economic resource for us, we have more than a year, Bulgari has been financing the overhaul of the the duty to protect this heritage for everyone.” And not just in his mosaics at the Baths of Caracalla. And on September 22 the jewelry homeland, he points out: “We need to preserve our cultural heri- firm unveiled its rejuvenation of the Spanish Steps following a ten- tage all over the world.” Fellow fashion magnates, consider that month rehabilitation, repairing broken stone and cleaning off dirt statement a well-tailored gauntlet thrown down.

Perfect Harmony In Clarissa and Edgar Bronfman’s New York apartment, designer Amy Lau made sure that everything lives up to the blue-chip art collection TEXT BY DAN SHAW PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON SCHMIDT STYLED BY MICHAEL REYNOLDS A wire sculpture by Venezuelan artist Gego hangs in the foyer, join- ing a piece by León Ferrari (at left), a chair by Joseph Walsh Studio, and a Christopher Chiappa gold-leaf stool. For details see Sources. 1 1 2 A R C H D I G E ST.C O M

An array of choice 20th- century artworks hangs in Clarissa Bronfman’s office, where a pair of blue acrylic- paint chairs by Eduardo Costa flank a Carlo Mollino cocktail table. Bespoke wool rug by Patricia van Dalen. A R C H D I G E ST.C O M 1 1 3

O ne could write a book about the meticulous four-year renovation and foyer also has direct views into the library, dining room, Clarissa stands HAIR AND MAKEUP: MARY GUTHRIE FOR ARTISTS BY TIMOTHY PRIANO decoration of art collectors Clarissa and Edgar and her office, which all have pocket doors to allow beside the living Bronfman Jr.’s triplex penthouse on Park Avenue. flexible levels of openness and retreat. room’s custom- And, in fact, their interior designer, Amy Lau, pro- made Vladimir duced a coffee-table tome as a gift for the couple, After construction commenced, Lau joined the Kagan sofa. A pre- chronicling their collaboration with many of the project. “The architecture has the right balance—it’s Columbian deity artisans responsible for the apartment’s custom- on par with and equal to the art but doesn’t overpower sculpture sits next to made rugs, lighting, and furniture. it,” she notes. It was Lau’s mission to help Clarissa sort Diego Rivera’s Dance through the art and furniture she had in storage, in Tehuantepec. Curled up barefoot on the 1960s Brazilian sofa which included a pair of Jean-Michel Frank sofas now in the leather-swathed library, Clarissa has a laid- reupholstered in a handwoven cotton blend by Tara back demeanor that belies her formidable role in Chapas of Brooklyn. Lau commissioned furnishings New York cultural life as a vice-chairman of (such as Californian Lauren Saunders’s embroidered Carnegie Hall, a trustee of the Museum of Modern throw pillows resembling abstract canvases) that Art, and cochairman of the Guggenheim would hold their own among the Bronfmans’ collec- Museum’s Latin American Committee. (She also tion of pre-Columbian artifacts, kinetic sculpture, practices photography and creates a sought-after video art, drawings, and 20th-century paintings. A line of jewelry.) The six-bedroom apartment, she sprawling color-blocked rug by Jorge Lizarazo of explains, was conceived as an easygoing environ- Hechizoo in Bogotá, Colombia, is woven from natural ment for raising four children (now ages 15 to 20) and man-made fibers laced with metallic wires; its and as a flexible backdrop for the global art collec- tion she’s assembled with her husband, a scion of the family behind Seagram distillers and the for- mer CEO and chairman of the Warner Music Group, who is now a venture capitalist with a special interest in profitably reducing carbon emissions. The Bronfmans worked with two architects— Clarissa’s brother Frank Alcock, who lives in Caracas, Venezuela, where the siblings were born, and New York– based Peter Guzy of Asfour Guzy—directing them to transform the traditional prewar layout of dignified but dark rooms into light, airy spaces that would allow fur- niture and art to be rearranged without disrupting the apartment’s elegant flow. And the synergy between art and architecture is indeed visceral. In the spare entrance gallery, a dramatic sweeping white-painted steel staircase wraps around a suspended wire sculp- ture by the German-born Venezuelan artist Gego. From the foot of the stairs, there’s a view into the double- height section of the living room—what Guzy describes as an “internal piazza that binds the apartment together.” “I wanted you to feel intuitively and imme- diately welcome,” says Clarissa, explaining why the 1 1 4 A R C H D I G E ST.C O M

In the living room, Jean-Michel Frank sofas and a Paul Dupré-Lafon cocktail table are arranged on a Jorge Lizarazo rug crafted to complement the Roberto Matta painting. Cast-bronze side table by the Campana Brothers; 1950s Italian armchairs. 115

colors subtly complement Chilean artist Roberto Matta’s 1944 Surrealist painting Science, Conscience et Patience du Vitreur, which occupies the entire wall above the living room’s fireplace. On the opposite end of the living room, Diego Rivera’s 1928 Dance in Tehuantepec hangs on elm pan- eling above a seating group that includes a pair of two- tone leather chairs Gio Ponti designed in the 1950s for a house in Caracas and the floating curved Clarissa sofa commissioned in 2013 from Vladimir Kagan. (Lau devoted 16 pages in her book to the sofa’s evolution.) T he Bronfmans’ commitment to innovation and perfection is evident in the dining room. A model of Roman designer Achille Salvagni’s massive Octopus chandelier, with eight patinated bronze arms and onyx-filtered lights, was brought in to make sure its proportions would dovetail with the amber resin tabletop on a free-form wood base by Irish designer Joseph Walsh. “It takes eight people to move the table, so we needed to get everything exactly right,” Clarissa explains. Throughout the apartment, rugs were designed as works of art. In the library—where a flat-screen televi- sion plays a loop of videos by art stars like Bill Viola and Christian Marclay—Clarissa took a Portuguese tile as the inspiration for a multihued cowhide rug by Kyle Bunting. In her office a wool color-field collage rug by Miami-based artist Patricia van Dalen makes an ideal base for royal-blue acrylic-paint chairs by Eduardo Costa. “He’s a conceptual artist from Argentina, and these chairs are made only of layers and layers of paint— no structure, no wood, no concrete,” Clarissa says. The Bronfman children collaborated with Lau on their second-floor bedrooms. “Every kid would sit with Amy and say, ‘This is what I want’ and ‘This is what my mother wants, which I hate,’ and they would do their own thing,” recalls Clarissa with a laugh. Her younger son’s room is especially vibrant, with walls the color of tomato soup, a rug inspired by a Sol LeWitt artwork, and a headboard that riffs on George Nelson’s Marshmallow sofa. A Vik Muniz portrait of her son when he was six or seven hangs over the nightstand. “All of my children have a por- trait by him,” Clarissa says. There’s still one more project in the works. On the terrace just off the minimally furnished third- floor master suite, the Bronfmans have commis- sioned architect Maya Lin and landscape designer Edwina von Gal to create an art installation they can have all to themselves. 1 1 6 A R C H D I G E ST.C O M

Italian architect Achille Salvagni’s Octopus chande- lier stretches above the sculptural dining table by Joseph Walsh Studio, which also produced the pair of Enignum II chairs. Vintage Superleggera chairs by Gio Ponti for Cassina. —“The architecture has the right balance it’s on par with and equal 117 to the art but doesn’t overpower it,” notes designer Amy Lau.

Design Notes Bold bespoke furnishings and accessories hold their own in the Bronfmans’ art-filled home Collar Embroidered by Clarissa silk-velvet pil- Bronfman; low by Lauren $7,000. clar- Saunders; issabronf- price upon man.com request. 805-302-5479 Soft resin Rock The library walls are covered vase by Gaetano in tile by Garrett Leather; to Pesce; $600. the trade. garrettleather.com corsidesign.it “For me, it’s a work of art,” says homeowner Clarissa Bronfman of the sofa Vladimir Kagan designed for her living room. Custom-made hand- A sketch of the Sand-cast tufted wool rug by Patricia Clarissa sofa by bronze bowls van Dalen; $14,000. Vladimir Kagan. by Jaimal patriciavandalen.com Odedra; from Enignum II chair by $980. mai- Joseph Walsh Studio; songerard.com $19,300. josephwalsh- studio.com

Octopus chandelier Stool by by Achille Salvagni; Christopher Chiappa; $110,000. mai- price upon songerard.com request. katewer- blegallery.com Foam-and-rubber Poly chair by Max Lamb; A son’s room $5,800. johnsontrading- is painted gallery.com Bull’s Eye Red by Benjamin Moore. benja- minmoore.com CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF CLARISSA BRONFMAN; COURTESY OF LAUREN SAUNDERS; ITALO PERNA; JASON SCHMIDT; COURTESY OF MAX Bloomin’ Ofidia side LAMB; ROBERT LEVIN; ELISABETH BERSTEIN; JASON SCHMIDT; FERNANDO LASZLO; COURTESY OF HERMAN MILLER; COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA VON acrylic vases by table by the FURSTENBERG; STUART TYSON; ANDREW BRADLEY; COURTESY OF PATRICIA VAN DALEN; COURTESY OF VLADIMIR KAGAN Campana Alexandra von Brothers; Furstenberg; $15,000. fried- manbenda.com $220 and $290. avfhome.com Marshmallow sofa by “In decorating, Irving Harper and George Nelson; $5,579. I like a bit of hermanmiller.com irreverence,” says Clarissa. “I don’t believe in strict rules about what should go where.” A R C H D I G E ST.C O M 1 1 9

Painted in Benjamin Moore’s Whale Gray, Jack Pierson’s living room walls and shelves brim with beloved art, books, and objects. The artist worked with designer Fernando Santangelo to create rooms that call to mind a timeless New York style. For details see Sources. 1 2 0 A R C H D I G E ST.C O M

SECRET HISTORY IN DESIGNING HIS GREENWICH VILLAGE FLAT, ARTIST JACK PIERSON CONJURES A ROMANTICALLY EVOCATIVE BACKSTORY TEXT BY DAVID COLMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN KENT JOHNSON STYLED BY MICHAEL REYNOLDS

R ememberyourfantasyNewYork apartment? I remember mine, concocted from snippets of old movies like Rear Window, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and, yes, even Rosemary’s Baby. It would be in Greenwich Village, with 14-foot ceilings and huge casement windows overlooking backyard gardens. The walls would glow with light. There would be a chic little foyer, a commodious kitchen I could eat in, and, of course, a great big room with a working fireplace where all my friends would congregate regu- larly. In more than 20 years in the city, not only have I never found such a place for myself, I’ve never seen some- one else in one, either—until I set foot in Jack Pierson’s apartment. A short stroll from Washington Square Park, Pierson’s home is exactly the kind of space I pictured glamorous, artistic New Yorkers living in—with the added Pierson in an august neo- bonus of a small terrace that can hold a table and chairs. classical doorway off the This impression, it turns out, was no accident. Back living room. Acrylic club in 2008, after a dispiriting search, the artist and photog- chair by Kartell; walnut rapher saw a listing for the one-bedroom flat. It cost a burl table by Alma Allen. bit more than Pierson wanted to spend, but he fell in love and jumped at the opportunity. To amplify his feel- ing of good fortune, he set about decorating it like some- thing he had magically lucked into. “I decided that I wanted it to look like an apartment that a rich aunt—one I didn’t know I had—had left to me, and that I had taken over in my gay bachelor way,” he says. “But, just to be clear, I don’t have a rich aunt.” His vision was fueled later that year when The New York Times sent him to Paris to shoot the residence of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé in advance of the big sale at Christie’s following Saint Laurent’s death. It was an eye- opening assignment. “I loved the layering of objects, how the shelves were filled right to the top,” he recalls. At first Pierson thought he could just work with an ARTWORK: COURTESY OF CHEIM & READ, NEW YORK architect, Elias Moser, to pull his place together. “But as the decisions started coming fast and furious, I realized I was in over my head,” he explains. “So I called Fernando.” Pierson and Fernando Santangelo have been friends since the mid-1980s, and Pierson has seen countless proj- ects by the designer, foremost among them the renovation of the Chateau Marmont. He knew that if anyone could relate to his “rich aunt” concept, it was Santangelo. “I loved A grid of nine automatic drawings in watercolor the idea as soon as he said it,” says the designer. “And I and graphite from Pierson’s 2015 “onthisisland” added in my own ideas about a kind of old Park Avenue exhibition at New York’s Cheim & Read gallery. style that I’ve adored since I first came to New York.” 1 2 2 A R C H D I G E ST.C O M

A smart black-and-gold wall covering by Christopher Hyland sets a swank tone in the entry. Framed embroidered panel, Chinese vase, and lacquer bench all vintage.

Looking into the elegant living room from the entrance hall, where a large ame- thyst sits atop a vin- tage telephone stand.

In the bedroom, a painting by Patrick Berran is displayed on a wall swathed in a blue metallic by Dolly Fabrics. The apartment’s shell got a full-on socialite-circa-1966 Antiqued mirror panels and 19th-century accessories makeover. Woodwork and newly built bookshelves were dress up the apartment’s existing fireplace. painted a pale, stately shade that might be called dowager blue. A large window facing an ugly wall was covered A R C H D I G E ST.C O M 1 2 5 with a phalanx of shutters. Modeled after Marlene Dietrich’s apartment, the fireplace was faced in antiqued mirror. The entry was wrapped in a hand-blocked black- and-gold wallpaper, and the kitchen was redone in classic wood cabinetry painted an old-school pale yellow. In the bedroom and bath, meanwhile, Santangelo tilted the vibe more toward uncle. The bedroom walls are clad in a subtle metal-blue fabric, the bed frame is upholstered in a caramel-color faux suede, and a wall of closets and cupboards wears book-matched mahogany veneer. The clean, crisp marble bath—presided over by an extra-long, extra-deep tub—was inspired by the locker rooms of the New York Athletic Club. A man would have to work hard to find a nicer spot to lay his head. But while the bedroom, bath, kitchen, and terrace are all disarmingly perfect, it’s the main room—with its myriad artworks, specimen crystals, and books amassed by Pierson over the years—that feels most like a space out of time. As an artist, Pierson is known for evocative photogra- phy and conceptual pieces that suggest something—a locale, an atmosphere, a mood—without explicitly explain- ing it. And that is precisely what he and Santangelo have created here—a posh wormhole linking the real world of today to a yesterday we can only dream of. “Fernando took the idea and ran with it,” Pierson says. “It really feels like something from another era, but not some exact place and time we all know or remember. So it’s always evoking something for me, always renewing that original fantasy.”

A panel of Zoffany wallpaper (at left) complements Montclair Arabesco marble in the bath. Vintage ceiling lights, sconces, mirror, and sink. 1 2 6 A R C H D I G E ST.C O M

Pillows in a malachite-patterned fabric sit on a bench in the bedroom. The painting is a flea-market find.

A Grand Gesture Looking for an unforgettable gift? Piled high with crystal, china, and other treasures, these splendid tables make the case that opulence is always in style PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY COTSIFAS STYLED BY MICHAEL REYNOLDS 128

A rustic table is layered with cylinder vase, candle snuffer, bud Scissor-cut glass dome and vintage charming, country-chic pieces vase, and fluted pitcher by Match; hotel charger by RH; $52 each. Old for a pretty, pastoral effect. from $65. Dillon candleholders by Norwegian Stripe napkin by Libeco Ethan Allen; from $69. Wellington Home; $25. Bennington pitcher Wax food candles throughout by pitcher by Calvin Klein Home; $300. by Ralph Lauren Home; $89. Antique Cereria Introna from John Derian Co.; Mallorca bowl by Atelier Sylvie Saint- lusterware goblet from KRB; $225. from $15. Paper flowers throughout André Perrin and ceramic fruit by Porcelain rooster from John Rosselli by the Green Vase; from $33. From Penkridge Ceramics from John Derian Antiques; $12,000. Groussay console far left: Blue-and-white vase by Co.; from $75. Zhao rabbit tray by table and antique linen wall panels Amanda Moffat from John Derian Co.; Ibride; $172. Small, medium, and large from Démiurge New York; from $550. Pewter Arno goblet, footed candy dishes by Lobmeyr; from $260. $18,000. For details see Sources. A R C H D I G E ST.C O M 1 2 9

Delicate floral finds make for a distinctive display. Cumberland porcelain dinner- ware by Nymphenburg from Kneen & Co.; from $2,490. Rai fabric by Fabricut; to the trade. 130

Boho motifs and faux blooms set the stage for ornate objets. Voyage en Ikat vase, teapot, and bowl by Hermès; from $1,500. Curiosity Monkey on a Turquoise Rock figurine by Lladró; $345. Venise coffee cup and saucer by Bernardaud; $310 for a set of two. Pure Form smooth bracelets by David Yurman; from $3,500. Etruscan Inspiration cuff by Van Cleef & Arpels; $35,700. Talcy velvet fabric by Clarence House; to the trade. Louis XVI–style gueridon by Dissidi from Côté France; $39,000. A R C H D I G E ST.C O M 1 3 1

Let them eat cake! More is more ring by Elizabeth Locke; $4,150. Moriana cake stand by Ctrlzak for in this lavish spread of faux-patisserie Heritage cake stand and Francis meat Seletti; $221. 555 candelabra by candles, silver, and fine jewels. forks and pie knife by Reed & Barton; Pampaloni; $3,995. Snowflake Wishes from $150. Akoya cultured-pearl cake plate by Waterford; $3,500. From left: Copeland Parian bust from necklace by Assael; $33,000. Oriente Bone cake plate by Elsa Peretti from Seidenberg Antiques; $7,500 for a Italiano Azalea pickle dish and Citrino Tiffany & Co.; $550. Mers de Chine pair. Malmaison fruit bowl by Christofle; dessert plate by Richard Ginori; napkin by D. Porthault; $250 (sold $540. Portia tall dessert stand and from $100. Gitterwerk two-tiered with place mat). Vintage hotel napkin classic cake stand and dome by centerpiece by Josef Hoffmann from ring by RH; $52 for a set of four. William Yeoward Crystal; from $155. Neue Galerie; $240. Adélaïde cake Console from John Rosselli Antiques; Meistergläser chalices and trophy and stand by Astier de Villatte from John $9,000. Pink Raspberry 2075-40 paint Bacchus tumbler by Theresienthal; Derian Co.; $258. Diamond-and- by Benjamin Moore; $70 per gallon. from $190. Arabella tray by Ralph onyx bracelet by Jean Schlumberger Lauren Home; from $195. Amethyst from Tiffany & Co.; $225,000. Hybrid —MARKET DIRECTOR: PARKER BOWIE LARSON

A R C H D I G E ST.C O M 1 3 3

Artistic Retreat At the Hamptons getaway of powerhouse gallery owner Dominique Lévy and movie producer Dorothy Berwin, the architecture, the furniture, and even the trees are all part of the aesthetic vision TEXT BY ARTHUR LUBOW PHOTOGRAPHY BY OBERTO GILI STYLED BY MICHAEL REYNOLDS

Above: Thomas Houseago’s totemic Rattlesnake Figure (carving) stands in front of a stucco- and-barnwood-clad annex by architectural designer Francis D’Haene of D’Apostrophe Design. Opposite: Samuel and Solal Lévy frolic in front of sculptures by Peter Regli. A R C H D I G E ST.C O M 1 3 5

Dorothy Berwin fell in love with the who is Berwin’s son from a former marriage, and IN THIS STORY, HAIR AND MAKEUP: VIRGINIA LINZEE trees. “I found our house,” the film- Samuel, 14. The brood has since grown to include maker told her partner, Dominique another son, Solal, 6. “This house was meant to be a Lévy, 12 years ago, as she described place where the kids could have all their friends the property she had located in over,” Lévy says. What it’s not, she states emphati- Bridgehampton, New York. “But cally, is “a big house in the Hamptons” intended to you’re not going to like it.” The impress. Rather, it is a sanctuary for the family. “You structure was an unremarkable can feel them slowing down with the landscape and shingled saltbox. To the left of it, living outside,” says Paula Hayes, an artist and land- however, three giant Japanese scape designer who laid out the gardens and sited an cedars were swaying in the breeze, orchard. Observes Berwin: “It tastes good, it smells and at the back of the house stood a good, it feels good.” towering white birch. Despite Berwin’s dire pre- She and Lévy determined they couldn’t demolish diction, Lévy—a formidable art the house without jeopardizing the white birch. dealer with galleries in New York Instead, they brought in architectural designer Francis and London—was smitten even D’Haene of D’Apostrophe Design to craft a thoughtful before she reached the end of the driveway. Wetlands addition. Adapting the existing building to contain the stretched along one side. “I think the magic is, kitchen, dining room, library, and two guest rooms, you don’t see neighbors,” she explains. The couple D’Haene added a perpendicular annex, with a double- took the plunge. height square living room and the main bedrooms. At the time they were looking for a retreat for “We wanted it to be intimate, with spaces where we their family—which in 2004 included Caleb, now 22, could be separate and be together, with sensuousness and light,” Lévy says.

In the midst of construction, at D’Haene’s sugges- prevent flooding. She intricately interlaced brown Above: The poolhouse is tion, they removed the shingles and covered both the boulders from a Pennsylvania quarry with flowering wrapped entirely in reclaimed barnwood. original structure and the annex in white stucco. plants in shades of blue, lavender, cream, gray, and Opposite: “The simple architecture of the house is better green. The rock garden satisfies the professional Dominique Lévy with two of her sons served with a smoother finish,” D’Haene explains. instincts of both of her clients. When you walk the in the family’s zippy Volkswagen Beetle After the completion of the first phase, the clients meandering path, it unfolds like a film, with the convertible. and architect built a poolhouse with a nearby Jacuzzi clumps of plants exerting a sculptural presence. and fire pit to facilitate outdoor entertaining. Indeed, Berwin and Lévy regard the rock garden as Following that, they added a one-story wing, with a one of several sculptures in the landscape, along with sleeping area for the younger generation, and at the the white marble snowman and Buddha, from the same time finished the basement to create staff “One Sun—One Moon” series by Peter Regli, that they quarters. The poolhouse is clad inside and out in have placed near the Japanese cedars. There are also reclaimed barnwood, and the children’s wing is faced outdoor sculptures by Mark Handforth, Sam Durant, with a combination of barnwood and stucco. and Franz West, and two by Thomas Houseago. Because the land slopes downward, Hayes created Inside the house, above the master suite’s bed, they a rock garden near the house to absorb runoff and have mounted an Emily Dickinson word piece by Roni Horn, who is both a friend and “This house was meant to be a place an artist whose work they ad- where the kids could have all their mire. A suite of 38 photographs friends over,” Dominique Lévy says. by Urs Fischer covers the walls “Not ‘a big house in the Hamptons.’” of the playroom in the kids’ wing and a screening room located under the original house. A R C H D I G E ST.C O M 1 3 7

“I’ve never collected art thinking of where it will go,” Lévy says. “Everything finds its place.”

The living room features artworks by, from left, Anselm Reyle, Ugo Rondinone, and Zhu Jinshi. Furnishings include a Rick Owens double recamier, a vintage Vladimir Kagan sofa, woolly 1940s French slipper chairs, a 1950s cocktail table by Rainer Roland, and a vintage Gino Sarfatti chandelier. Opposite: Paula Hayes designed the gardens using a palette of blues, grays, greens, lavender, and cream. A R C H D I G E ST.C O M 1 3 9

Above: On the mezzanine, Phyllida Barlow’s Untitled (Twister) hangs over a rococo-style chaise longue and a Kueng Caputo Sand Chair. Right, top: Trope Heroic by Terry Adkins looms above a pair of vintage James Donahue chairs in the living room. Right, bottom: Dorothy Berwin with Lévy on a massive bench by Brazilian artist Hugo França in the garden. Also on display are works by Cindy Sherman and Ugo Rick Owens, you thought it would be uncomfortable,” Rondinone. Lévy and Berwin regularly move the art a concern that was less important to Lévy. “Dorothy around. “I’ve never collected art thinking of where it will insists on comfort,” she says, adding that she herself is go,” Lévy says. “I don’t think of it as decorative. sometimes willing to sacrifice comfort for style. Everything finds its place.” They collect trees in a similar spirit, choosing a few each year and situating them care- Despite such differences, the two women share a fully in a large field on the five-acre property. “Planting design aesthetic. “That’s the area in our life where we is where we have put the most energy,” Lévy says. argue the least,” Lévy says. Soon after they met, Lévy, who lived in Geneva, visited Berwin’s house in the The Paris furniture dealer Didier Krzentowski, Notting Hill section of London. Seeing furniture by whose Galerie Kreo supplied the couple’s Vladimir Jean Prouvé and Charlotte Perriand and photographs Kagan sofa, once told Lévy, “Great furniture is sculp- by Nan Goldin, she was struck by the overlaps in their ture.” And Berwin observes that their Rick Owens collections. “I looked and I thought, Maybe this is bronze-color double recamier is “very sculptural.” To meant to be,” she recalls. All these years later, her which her partner responds, “When you first saw the instincts have definitely proven trustworthy. 1 4 0 A R C H D I G E ST.C O M

Solal heads up the stairs to the tree house designed by Lévy.