Reprinted from Architectural Digest, December 2014
Reprinted from Architectural Digest, December 2014
The living room features (from left) an Alex Katz portrait, a Robert Mangold abstract work, a Donald Judd wall sculpture, and a butterfly painting by Damien Hirst;
the tabletop train sculpture is by Jeff Koons, and the antique rug is from Doris Leslie Blau.
And what extraordinary art it is, reading like a minisurvey of 20th-century masters. Paintings by Jean Dubuffet, Robert Rauschenberg, Gerhard Richter, and others are displayed alongside sculptures by Louise Nevelson, Roy Lichtenstein, Dan Flavin, and Bruce Nauman. Placing the works was a labor of love for the homeowners. “When we first moved in, we leaned them against walls, just to see, and then lived with it all for a week,” says the wife, who has been collecting with her husband for four decades.
The rest of the apartment similarly offers a primer on many of the art world’s most celebrated contemporary talents, from Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst to Alex Katz and George Condo. The assembly of august works could have veered toward the solemn and serious, but the installations here percolate with obvious fun and delight. Enlivening the minimalist kitchen is a Laurie Simmons photograph depicting a birthday cake strutting on female legs, playfully encouraging sweet indulgences. In the gym, conversely, a Robert Mapplethorpe image of impressively muscled bodies has been known to provide workout inspiration. Equally sly is the placement of a Tom Wesselmann wall sculpture of a reclining female nude, which the couple positioned directly over their bed.
“There’s a wonderful sense of humor,” says Aman, who incorporated the works into richly layered interiors. Choice paintings and sculptures commune comfortably with standout furnishings, from vintage tables by Philip and Kelvin LaVerne to a bespoke sofa based on a Syrie Maugham design for Elsa Schiaparelli. The dining room features apricot silk-velvet and beaded wall coverings that were sparked not by the orange tones in the David Hockney or Milton Avery paintings hanging there but by the wife’s beloved set of Royal Crown Derby china. In the living room a Yayoi Kusama sculpture of a basket filled with phallic and floral forms casually mingles with candy dishes atop James Mont tiered side tables.
The sweets are reminders that the space is, above all else, “a family apartment,” as the wife puts it. She and her husband recently acquired the other unit on their floor, enabling them to add guest quarters, a second gym, a pantry, and an informal dining room, where the whole clan gathers for Sunday suppers of Chinese takeout. “The guys all watch football,” the wife says, and touchdowns are celebrated beneath a Calder mobile, with a Sherman and a Koons looking on. Rarely have art and sports paired so gracefully.
Text by
Samuel Cochran
Reprinted from Architectural Digest, December 2014